BBMP plays down slight spike in Covid infection among children

Though 10-15 per cent of fresh Covid cases reported in the last 20 days are children aged between one and 19, BBMP officials played down the impact of the third wave primarily targeting children.

The civic body shared day-wise paediatric case numbers, which revealed that 460 children were affected by Covid from August 1 to 9, while 510 children were infected between July 22 and 31. The data confirmed that the city witnessed the largest single-day infection of children on July 24, which was 68.

BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) D Randeep said: “The conclusion that the third wave has begun with children as its focus is very simplistic as the percentage (of infection) has remained the same. Absolute numbers are never a true indicator. The percentage of infection on most days remained between 12 per cent-14 per cent over the last 20 days. We have seen no increase in child admissions.”

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The civic official’s statement also found resonance in noted epidemiologist Dr Giridhar Babu’s comment, when asked about paediatric cases.

“The proportion of cases in children is relatively same over this time period. There is no trend seen here. We need to monitor the trend for a longer time,” Babu said.

Dr Rakshay Shetty, lead paediatric intensivist at Rainbow Children’s Hospitals, which treated 305 Covid-affected children over two months this year at the peak of the second wave, said: “Even back then when we reported over 50,000 Covid cases per day, paediatric cases were only 10 per cent-15 per cent, which is also the case now.”

Dr Shetty, also a member of the BBMP Paediatric Expert Committee, said only five children on average were being admitted to one hospital per day at the peak of the second wave.

Dr Naresh P, another BBMP expert panel member and a pediatrician at Manipal Hospitals, Malleswaram, had a different take on the numbers.

“On August 10, 14 per cent of total cases were children,” he told DH. “From July 22 to August 10, the daily proportion of paediatric cases to total cases has increased from 11 per cent to 14 per cent.”

The spike is expected since children between ages 0-18 have not been vaccinated. “We must take all precautions to protect children. The third wave has started,” Dr Naresh said. “We don’t want even a small number of children to be affected. Our aim should be to protect all children. Each parent should act responsibly,” he said.