Covid cases in children rise amid after-school violations in Karnataka

Since the start of October, 4,145 children have been officially diagnosed with Covid-19 across Karnataka, with older children seeing sharper increases in infections since the reopening of all classrooms, as per state government data.

The rise is symbolised by the emergence of Covid-19 clusters in the last few weeks at schools and colleges. In the last 10 days, 679 child cases (0-19 age group) were found in the state, 88 per cent of whom were students aged 10 and above, according to the State Covid War Room. Altogether, more child cases have been recorded since November 28 than any other age group. In comparison, 656 cases were found among those aged between 20 and 29, and 623 among those aged between 30 and 39. The other age groups recorded smaller numbers.

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Cases have risen even though school managements insisted that they are following all Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the Department of Primary and Secondary Education. The first classes (6-8) were started on September 6. DH, which visited several schools and colleges on Wednesday, found that a majority of students were completely disregarding safety measures after leaving campuses.

“We check the temperature of all students and provide hand sanitisers at the school entrance. Inside the classrooms, we are trying our best to ensure social distancing. What worries us is what children do after school hours,” said D Shashi Kumar, general secretary of associated management of primary and secondary schools in Karnataka.

A number of children were found to be gathering at parks, eateries, bus stops, and crowding footpaths across the city without following Covid appropriate behaviour. Though schools and colleges end their day between 3 and 3.30 pm, DH found students loitering for at least an hour afterwards.

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For educators of private schools, the cause of the problem is clear: poor oversight by civic bodies and parents. Reflecting the low infectivity rate among children aged 12 and below, school authorities said that children below grade 8 are not a problem as they are largely collected by parents. The problem demographic is grade 9 and above, a teacher said, singling out PUC students.

“In classrooms, we ensure two children per desk but you should see how they sit inside the eateries. Every parent knows the school timings. They should question their children if they reach home late,” said Supreeth B R, principal, Oxford Group of institutions, Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru.

Lokesh Talikatte, president of the Recognised Unaided Private Schools Association, Karnataka, said that civic bodies should monitor school and college students at public transit locations. “If such behaviour outside campus is not controlled, the situation will worsen,” he said.

Asymptomatic spread

A member of the third wave committee noted that cases among children could be higher than official figures.

“The number of cases with Covid-19 being received at the Indira Gandhi Institute Of Child Health has been roughly the same as before but one important distinction is that few children are coming to the hospital with a specific complaint of Covid-19. It is only when they are tested at the hospital that we find they have the disease,” said Professor of Paediatrics Dr Basavaraj G V, adding that this meant that a large number of children with Covid-19 are likely going by undetected because they are asymptomatic. “Up to 70 per cent of paediatric child cases are asymptomatic,” he added.

This has implications because according to noted virologist Dr Shaheed Jameel, Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University, "both asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people spread the virus".

Four unconnected studies noted that "between 0 per cent and 2.2 per cent of people with asymptomatic infection infected anyone else, compared to 0.8 per cent-15.4 per cent of people with symptoms".

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