Kids above 12 with comorbidities likely to be vaccinated first; Maharashtra govt puts school reopening on hold
It is expected that children above 12 years of age with medical conditions will be vaccinated first against COVID19. However, healthy children may not get jabs this year. Meanwhile, over 500 kids found infected in Bengaluru. The Maharashtra government put on hold its decision to reopen schools.
It is expected that in the first phase only children with comorbidities should be given shots. Photo: ILO
Children above 12 years of age with comorbidities are likely to be vaccinated first. These children in the priority group include those who have undergone kidney transplant, have congenital heart disease and terminal illnesses such as cancer. However, healthy children may not get inoculated this year, inform news reports quoting the COVID19 working group of India which advises the government on vaccines.
Comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions often co-occurring with a primary health condition.
According to a news report in The Economic Times, the government experts are of the view that there is no need for every child to be vaccinated to attend school. It suggests that adults should be immunised first. If the drug regulator approves administration of vaccines among children above 12, the working group’s view is that in the first phase only children with comorbidities should be given shots.
“Healthy children will have to be taken up for immunisation only after most of the adult population has been immunised,” NK Arora, chair, COVID19 working group, was quoted as saying in the media report.
“Children have mild disease and at this time, immunising 400 million children will leave adults, who are more likely to get hospitalised if they get infected, unvaccinated. Adding this cohort (children) at this point will disrupt the current vaccination drive,” he added.
Over 500 kids found infected in Bengaluru
Meanwhile, as per media reports, at least 543 children in the age-group of 0-18 years have tested positive for the coronavirus in Bengaluru, Karnataka between August 1 and 11. This has led to panic among parents as experts had earlier predicted that the COVID19 third wave is likely to affect children.
The infection among kids has been reported at a time when the Karnataka government announced that it may reopen schools for students studying in Classes 9-12 by August end.
Yesterday on August 13, the state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai convened an emergency meeting with experts regarding the COVID19 infection in children.
Bommai said that the experts have warned that the children will likely be affected during the third wave as they belong to the non-vaccinated group.
Maharashtra delays reopening of schools
The Maharashtra government has announced reopening of schools in areas where the coronavirus cases are under control. On August 10, School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said that students of Classes 5 to 12 will be allowed to attend classes in rural areas from August 17 and in urban areas Classes 8 to 12 students will be allowed to visit schools.
However, a day later, the state education department put on hold its decision to reopen schools after objections from its COVID19 task force. One of the task force members reportedly said that the children below the age of 18 are not vaccinated and an impending third wave could impact them.
The schools in Punjab were reopened on August 2. Merely a week after the schools were reopened, as many as 27 students were tested COVID19 positive in five government schools in Punjab’s Ludhiana, Abohar, Nawanshahr and Amritsar districts.
Also Read: Punjab: Week after schools reopen, 27 students test positive for COVID19
Meanwhile, Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization, pointed out on August 10, that the schools should priorities on physical distancing and other preventive measures to ensure that the children don’t live with long-term adverse effects of COVID19.
“The impact on children’s mental, physical and cognitive wellbeing will last a long time. School openings must be prioritized with distancing, masking, avoiding indoor singing and gatherings, hand hygiene & vaccination of all adults,” Swaminathan stated.
Last month on July 27, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya stated that COVID19 vaccination for children in India is ‘likely’ to begin from August.
So far, 535 million vaccination doses have been administered in the country. Of this, 44.6 per cent of doses were administered to people between 18-44 years. Slightly over 32 per cent to people between 45-60 years of age. And 22.7 per cent to those above 60 years of age.