Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 14
Ahead of a possible third wave of COVID-19 , the State Task Force on Management of COVID-19 in Children held a meeting at the IDSP Hall, Directorate of Health and Family, Kohima, on Wednesday to review state's preparedness in managing paediatric cases and take corrective measures.
The meeting was attended by the Principal Director of Directorate of Health and Family Welfare (DoHFW), senior officials from the directorate, and senior paediatricians from Naga Hospital Authority Kohima, Bethel Hospital in Kohima, Oking Hospital in Kohima, District Hospital Dimapur, Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research in Dimapur, and UNICEF, a press release from the IEC Bureau, DoHFW informed on Wednesday.
The task force deliberated on: projection of paediatric cases, beds, and logistics for the third wave and due preparation; capacity building of medical officers, nurses and community-level workers focussed on COVID care in children; continued participation between public and private hospitals; and intensifying awareness among the community for care of children during the pandemic.
The state task force also stated that the severity of COVID-19 disease among children appears to be low but all measures should be taken to protect the children by following COVID-19 appropriate-behaviours and vaccinating eligible beneficiaries at the earliest.
Shedding more light on the discussions that took place during the meeting, Dr Longri Kichu, state RMNCH+A consultant, UNICEF told The Morung Express that based on the evidence available today and from the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, severity of COVID-19 in children is unlikely to increase in the third wave.
However, he cautioned that more infections may happen in children too when more infections happen in the general population. Considering that there are no vaccines for children yet, the cases may also increase, he added.
“The state is planning for the worst case scenario as of now... We don’t want people to panic and at the same time should not show any laxity in observing COVID appropriate behaviours,” Dr Kichu underscored.
Dr Kichu said that children were tested positive in the state during the second wave but no deaths have occurred so far.
This was corroborated in the state Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme’s (IDSP) weekly roundup of the COVID-19 status in Nagaland issued on July 10 which stated that, “243 children below 5 years were tested positive in 2021 compared to 171 in 2020. However, no deaths below 5 years have been reported till now in the state.”
According to Dr Kichu, children, with all evidences available, are better placed than adults. However, he said that the virus is uncertain and can change any day while adding that “We just need to stop transmission.”
“The community can protect our children by two ways— COVID-19 appropriate behaviours and vaccination of eligible beneficiaries,” he underscored.
