New Delhi:
COVID-19 Symptoms in Children: With the second wave of Covid-19 wreaking havoc on states across the country, the next target of concern is children, who will be the most vulnerable during the third wave of COVID-19. Its time to shift the focus to the well-being of the children against this deadly pandemic, which has claimed numerous lives bringing the healthcare infrastructure in India to the verge of collapse.
In a tweet, the Ministry of Health reported that the majority of children with Covid-19 infection are asymptomatic or moderately symptomatic.
Being asymptomatic means that a person has Covid-19 but isn't experiencing any symptoms of the disease. This can last for up to 14 days, making things more serious because the asymptomatic individual spreads the virus to a large number of people, fueling the pandemic. Pre-symptomatic patients, meanwhile, have a cough, fever, or trouble in breathing while not having any symptoms at first despite testing positive for the virus.
Fever, cough, breathlessness or shortness of breath, weakness, sore throat, myalgia (muscle pains, aches, pain in ligaments), rhinorrhea (excess nasal discharge ranging from clear fluid to thick mucus), diarrhoea, loss of smell, and loss of taste are among the common symptoms among children, according to the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, a small percentage of children can exhibit gastrointestinal symptoms.
There are also reports of a rare but serious condition commonly detected in children called Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). This syndrome is considered to be triggered by the coronavirus infection, and children are mostly affected by this post-COVID-19 recovery. The symptoms include Unusual weakness or fatigue, red rashes, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, red and cracked lips, red eyes, and swollen hands or feet.
Asymptomatic Covid-19 positive children can be treated at home. Such children are detected during screening if the family members are found to be Covid positive, said the health ministry. They must be watched for the onset of symptoms and treated accordingly. Meanwhile, children with mid diseases may experience a sore throat, cough, or minor breathing problems that do not necessitate medical attention. Such children, according to the Ministry of Health, should be treated at home with home isolation and symptomatic care.
In a tweet, the ministry also suggested that children with underlying heart disorders, chronic lung diseases, or chronic organ dysfunction can be held at home and treated there.
The approval of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin in a clinical trial to inoculate children aged 2 to 12 years is being applauded across the nation. According to experts, a paediatric version of the vaccine will be available shortly. 525 healthy volunteers under the age of 18 will participate in the Bharat Biotech clinical trial.
Apart from Covaxin, Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D has been tested on children over the age of 12 in the United States, where the government has already approved Pfizer's vaccine for use on children.