Daily Covid cases cross 100-mark in Gautam Budh Nagar for the first time in 3 months

On January 2, Gautam Budh Nagar had reported 117 new cases as the active case tally in the district rose to 335, sounding alarm bells for the third wave in the region. Officials, however, are still insistent that despite the rise in cases over the past 10 days, there is no “wave” yet

Gautam Budh Nagar reported 107 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the active case count to 411. This is the first time since the beginning of the third wave in January that daily cases have crossed the 100-mark.

According to data from the health department, the 107 cases reported in the district on Tuesday included 33 children. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

On January 2, Gautam Budh Nagar had reported 117 new cases as the active case tally in the district rose to 335, sounding alarm bells for the third wave in the region. Officials, however, are still insistent that despite the rise in cases over the past 10 days, there is no “wave” yet.

Meanwhile, according to data from the health department, the 107 cases reported in the district on Tuesday included 33 children. Of the 65 new cases reported on Monday, 19 were children. So far, 550 cases have been reported in April, of which 143 are children. Of all the people who tested positive in April, 25% were children. Since cases started rising in April, children comprise about 25-35% of the daily case load, shows the data.

To be sure, the third wave of the pandemic infected a lesser number of children than anticipated. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 10,560 people under the age of 20 years have been infected in the district, while the total number of cases so far is 99,043. The overall positivity rate in children so far is much lower--less than 10%.

Tis is why though infection among children is on the rise, doctors say that parents need not panic and should follow basic protocols. “It is important to observe symptoms and not send children to school if they have cough, cold, fever and similar symptoms. Parents should offer them ample fluids and get them tested. Most children have displayed only minor symptoms so far that are easily managed at home. There is no need to panic as children can recover easily,” said Brigadier Dr Rakesh Gupta (retired), director, Government Institute of Medical Sciences.

He added that several children are falling sick due to the heatwave and sudden exposure to hot or cold temperatures, which lowers immunity and leads to cough and cold-like symptoms.

Doctors add that most children don’t even need to visit a doctor and are recovering in three to five days. “We are seeing a couple of cases daily, but most children are getting better in about three days. Many children who have similar symptoms have not even got tested. Some parents are also panicking if there is a viral infection or heatstroke. It is important to stay calm and follow guidelines,” said Dr Ashutosh Sinha, additional director, paediatrics, Fortis Hospital, Noida.

Doctors add that it is important to increase vaccination among children and introduce vaccines to younger age groups too.

“So far schools were shut and children remained isolated and protected at home. Now that their interaction has increased, we need to focus on increasing immunisation. Vaccines for younger children should also be introduced as soon as possible. Immunising the entire population is the only way that everyone can be protected,” said Dr DK Gupta, chairman, Felix Hospital.

Meanwhile, residents have written to chief minister Yogi Adityanath to consider restarting online classes for children under the age of 12 years who cannot be vaccinated now.

“The District Development Resident Welfare Association (DDRWA), Gautam Budh Nagar, requests you to close classroom sessions for children below 12 years of age who have not been vaccinated and don’t understand much about Covid-appropriate behaviour either. The parents of most of these children are not sending them to school and since most of the schools have stopped online classes too, their studies are suffering,” said the letter.

NP Singh, president, DDRWA, said, “Schools should at least provide parents who are not comfortable sending their children to school with the option of online classes . With just 20 days left for summer vacations, the school can start offline classes again when they reopen.”