As Covid plateaus, infection in children under 15 up 10 times

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 12

Even as the devastating second Covid wave has started showing the signs of gradual retreat with its impact plateauing, the incidence of deadly virus infection among the children below the age of 15 shot up over 10 times in the state last month.

The week-wise trend of Covid cases in the under-15 category, compiled by the Health and Family Welfare Department, a copy of which is with The Tribune, revealed that the rate has risen from 0.5 per cent between April 12 and 18 to 5.2 per cent between May 24 and 30. However, this over 10 times increase was less than half than the highest-ever ratio of 11.9 per cent recorded in the state between March 1 and 7.

The official data showed that the virus infection among minor children receded to 10 per cent between March 8 and 14, and further dropped to 5.4 per cent between March 9 and 21, 3.7 per cent between March 22 and April 4, 3.5 per cent between April 5 and 11, before touching the record low of 0.5 per cent between April 12 and 18.

Since then, the trend took a U-turn and started constantly rising to 3.9 per cent between April 19 and 25, 4.1 per cent between April 26 and May 2, 4.2 per cent between May 3 and 9, 4.1 per cent between May 10 and 16, 4.8 per cent between May 17 and 23, and reaching 5.2 per cent between May 24 and 30.

Also, 14 cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) among Covid positive children have been identified, of which one child has died, in the state so far. The government has identified 17 institutes, both government and private, for reporting MIS-C cases in the state.

“We have been making adequate arrangements with capacity building and upgrade of treatment facilities for the children to tackle the increased caseload, if any, in future.” – Hussan Lal, Principal Health Secretary