No evidence to suggest third wave will hit children: AIIMS director
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director Dr Randeep Guleria has said that there is no scientific evidence available, either from India or internationally, to believe that children will be badly affected during the third wave of Covid-19. He said that it is a piece of misinformation that subsequent waves are going to cause severe illness in children, adding that children have been only mildly affected in both the first and second waves.
“In the second wave, 60-70% of the children admitted to hospital had comorbidities. Healthy children did not need hospitalisation and recovered at home. There is no data or evidence, be it Indian or global, to show that children are at risk of serious infection. This is misinformation that children would be adversely affected,” Guleria said on Tuesday.
He added that the third wave could be prevented if Covid-19 appropriate behaviour is followed.
“We need to understand why waves come. They come when virus mutates. It is also because of human behaviour. This pattern we saw during the Spanish Flu in 1918, when the second wave was the biggest. After that there was a smaller third wave," the AIIMS director said.
He said that when cases come down, the unlocking phase begins. During this time, he said, people’s behaviour changes and they start getting lax and new waves are formed.
"If we need to prevent a third wave, we need to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour,” Dr Guleria said.
Experts have warned that the third wave of Covid-19 is due between October and December and it will hit children in a big way. They have urged both the Centre and state governments to chalk out strategies and gear up to handle the situation.
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