Ahmednagar: As many as 6,102 children aged 12-18; 2,694 kids aged 12, and another 85 children aged between 0-2 have tested COVID-19 positive in May (Representative Image: PTI)

As COVID-19 cases in India’s financial capital Mumbai seem to be lowering, Ahmednagar has emerged as the new hotspot in Maharashtra. Alarmingly, a large number of those testing positive for the virus are children, ABP News reported.

As many as 8,881 children tested COVID positive in Ahmednagar district in May, District Collector (DC) Dr. Rajendra B. Bhosale (IAS) said on May 31.

As many as 6,102 children aged 12-18; 2,694 kids aged 12, and another 85 children aged between 0-2 have tested positive for the coronavirus during the month, as per the DC.

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The district administration has “stepped into action” taking into account the high number of children affected by the second wave and the DC said that he has asked officials to create an independent board for the treatment of children.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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COVID-19 | Ahmednagar emerging hotspot in Maharashtra, close to 9,000 children test positive in May

The district administration has “stepped into action” taking into account the high number of children affected by the second wave and the District Collector said that he has asked officials to create an independent board for treatment of children.

Ahmednagar: As many as 6,102 children aged 12-18; 2,694 kids aged 12, and another 85 children aged between 0-2 have tested COVID-19 positive in May (Representative Image: PTI)

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