Start vaccinating children at the earliest, recommends TAC

With the third wave of COVID-19 anticipated in October-November more likely to hit children in larger proportion, the State’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has really helpful that Karnataka instantly write to the Centre looking for vaccines to be used in children from producers reminiscent of Pfizer.

Members of the TAC, who at a gathering on Sunday deliberated on how the State ought to put together itself for the subsequent wave, mentioned Karnataka ought to, on precedence, search from the Centre vaccines really helpful to be used in children and begin vaccinating this weak inhabitants at the earliest.

Increased mortality

The ongoing second wave is anticipated to recede by the finish of June. Between the first and second waves, there was a 4% improve in mortality and 43% rise in the variety of instances in the 0-9 age group. In the 10-19 age group, a 6% improve in mortality and 60% rise in variety of instances has been recorded.

“With vaccination for age groups of 18-44 and 45 and above being taken up, children will be most vulnerable to the infection during the third wave. In the wake of this, the TAC in consultation with the paediatric experts’ group set up by the State for the third wave has recommended that the State should on priority seek vaccines for children,” sources mentioned.

Sources mentioned TAC members on Sunday deliberated intimately the present knowledge of COVID-19 illness, testing, vaccination, the State’s first and second seroprevalence surveys, waning immunity in contaminated people, reinfections, mobility in the districts regardless of restrictions and lack of COVID-19 applicable behaviour in the inhabitants.

‘Not to be ignored’

Despite the TAC cautioning the authorities on November 30 about the must ramp up services and be ready to sort out the second wave, the State was ill-prepared. The State mustn’t ignore consultants’ suggestions this time, sources asserted.

According to the report on suggestions for the third wave, a replica of which is with The Puucho, as the subsequent wave of COVID-19 in the State is anticipated throughout October-November, the intervening interval of 4 months ought to be used to ramp up scientific services, coaching and deployment of human assets, and fulfilling different associated necessities.

“Special attention should be paid towards meeting the requirements of facilities for clinical management of COVID-19 in children at the Community Health Centres, taluk and district levels. As parents may act as caregivers in the hospitals, this should be factored in the planning for things like PPE kits, N-95 masks, resting facilities in the hospitals, among others,” the report said.

Besides, sampling for genomic sequencing (for variants of virus) and serology (anti-COVID-19 antibodies) from children ought to be began instantly. Vulnerable classes in the age group of 18-44, significantly mother and father of schoolgoing children, ought to be vaccinated on precedence, the report added.