‘99K adolescents, 38K kids in Maha positive in 2 months’

MUMBAI: Over 99,000 adolescents tested positive for Covid-19 and more than 38,000 children up to 10 years were infected with coronavirus between February 15 and April 15 in the state.

During the period, 99,022 people between the age group of 11 and 20 and 38,265 children up to age 10 have tested positive in Maharashtra. The two categories constituted 137,287 or 9.06% of the total 1,513,882 cases, clocked in the state in the past two months.

Data showed that children and adolescents are getting more affected in the second Covid-19 wave compared to the first wave in the state. The data from the state medical education and drugs department (MEDD) revealed that between August 15 and October 15, when Maharashtra hit its first peak, the number of children infected were 34,154 while 66,272 adolescents were infected.

“The cases among children and adolescents have increased in the second wave compared to the first one. The moving population do not follow the Covidappropriate behaviour properly. As they move out, they bring home the infection. Therefore, one has to be extremely careful while moving out,” said Dr TP Lahane, director of directorate of medical education and research (DMER).

Dr Soonu Udani, a paediatrician and critical care specialist at SRCC Children’s Hospital, said that the number of children being hospitalised has increased from the first wave. She added that the symptoms too have changed from the previous wave.

“In the first wave, we saw children with mild fever and few were very sick. From the 120 children, we saw last year, five or six were sick. This time, it is just the opposite. Our figures show that from April 1 till date, we have had 17 or 18 admissions, including a newborn and a fiveyear-old. Of them, nine patients are very sick. They are coming with different symptoms from last time, like pneumonia, convulsions, encephalopathy, which is drowsiness, stupor, unresponsiveness, etc. Also, mild ones have had diarrhoea. Unless they are dehydrated, we don’t admit them, but the number of such cases is high,” she Dr Udani said.

Dr Lancelot Pinto, epidemiologist, who is attached to PD Hinduja Hospital, said that the high number of cases is a reflection of the demographic.

“Our median age is 27 years, if the virus is affecting every second person, it is bound to affect children as well. Besides that, many people have been stepping out of the home, so children have contracted the infection too,” he said.