The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has apprehended the citizens of Maharashtra in yet another lockdown. While still trying to battle the second wave, around 8000 children in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar were found Covid-19 positive in the month of May.
In a new threat that looms over the state, authorities have been put on high alert. This comes after thousands of children and teenagers tested positive for the coronavirus in Ahmednagar in May, accounting for an estimated 10 per cent of the cases in the district, as per a report in DNA.
Confirming the worrisome situation, Ahmednagar district chief Rajendra Bhosale said, “In May alone 8,000 kids got positive. This is worrying.”
A new ward for children is being readied in Maharashtra’s Sangli district where five children are being treated currently.
Talking about precautionary measures being taken for children, Abhijit Bhosale, a local corporator, informed, “We have prepared this Covid ward for kids so that if and when the third wave comes, we are prepared. And kids will not feel they are in a hospital but instead will feel they are in a school or a nursery.”
It is imperative to note that some experts have been raising alarm over the third wave of the pandemic which is likely to affect children.
Uddhav Thackeray extends lockdown in Maharashtra
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took to Facebook on Sunday to announce an extension in lockdown till June 15. Maharashtra which was one of the first states to be hit by the second wave of the pandemic has still not been able to mitigate new cases.
While announcing some relaxations, Thackeray said, “Government is fully geared up to tackle the possible threat of a third wave. I don’t know when and what date the third wave will come. So we should not let our guard down.”
On May 31, Maharashtra recorded 15,077 new coronavirus cases and 500 fatalities.
Over a lakh children infected in the month of May
As per a New Indian Express report published early in May, as many as 1,34,470 children below 10 years of age were found infected, against 88,827 on April 3 in Maharashtra. In a 51 per cent rise in positive cases among children in just a month, over 75,000 children were infected within just 25 days in the state.
According to the health department, 3.04 per cent of children up to 10 years old were found infected, 6.80 per cent from the 11-20 age group and a worrying 15.51 per cent were found Covid-19 positive among the 21-30 age category.
Rajasthan records high Covid-19 positive cases amongst children
Thousands of children tested positive for the coronavirus in the state of Rajasthan in May. We reported earlier on how over 600 children under the age of 18 were found positive for Covid-19 in Bharatpur village in the past three weeks.
In an update from Dausa district, over 345 children between the age of 10 to 12 years have tested COVID-19 positive.
Additionally, over 300 children have tested positive for corona in the Dungarpur district. The administration says the children have been given the prescribed medication and have adequate arrangements in place for treatment.
In another alarming update, the health officials inform that the state has over 7000 minors who are said to be Covid positive but are largely asymptomatic.
States have been working towards enhancing paediatric health capabilities to battle the next waves of the pandemic.