AIIMS director clarifies about third wave of covid-19’s impact on children

In the recent times, as children got adversely affected by the second wave of covid -19 across the world, many experts presumed, it would worsen in the near future.

In this context, AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Tuesday clarified that there are no proven reports, either from India or globally, to prove that children will largely be infected in any next or third wave of COVID-19.

While interacting at a press conference on the COVID-19 impact here, Dr Guleria said it is a bogus information that subsequent waves of the COVID-19 pandemic would trigger severe illness in children.

He affirmed, 60 – 70 percent of the children who contracted the virus amid second wave of covid got in fact hospitalised but recovered fast. Dr Guleria said few of the cases became severe only because either because of co-morbidities or compromised immunity. On the flip side, he said healthy children recuperated with mild illness without need for hospitalization.

“Multiple waves occur when there is a susceptible population. When a large part of the population acquires immunity against the infection, the virus becomes endemic and infection becomes seasonal – like that of H1N1 that commonly spreads during monsoon or winters. Waves can occur due to change in the virus (such as new variants). Since new mutations become more infectious, there is a higher chance for the virus to spread,” the AIIMS director said.