The second COVID-19 wave has been spreading vigorously and on daily basis the count of cases has been skyrocketting in many states of India. Notably, in the second wave, younger people and children have been getting affected unlike the first round when the elderly, and those with co-morbidities were seen to the most vulnerable sections. Data from the Union health ministry reveals 79,688 children have been infected in the five states affected worst by the virus.
As of now no vaccine has been developed yet for children. A testing of AstraZeneca vaccine of children in the UK has been suspended over reports of the vaccine being linked to blood clotting, which has led to seven deaths in the European nation.
As per the data, in Maharashtra, 60,684 children have been infected with Covid between 1 March and 4 April. Of these children, 9,882 are under the age of five years.
In Chhattisgarh, 5,940 children have been infected by the disease, 922 of them are below the age of five. In Karnataka, the figures are 7,327 and 871. In Uttar Pradesh, 3,004 children have been infected and 471 among them are below the age of five.
While, Health ministry of Delhi says that the union territory logged 2,733 infections among children, 441 of them below the age of five years.
Public health experts are of opinion that the weaker immunity in children, coupled with a lack of Covid-appropriate behaviour, could be the reason for the spike. There is also the fact that new virus mutants are highly transmissible, and are turning into super-spreaders.
Meanwhile, India recorded an all-time high of 1,15,736 fresh cases and 630 fatalities.
