An Insight Into The Third Wave of Covid!
India has witnessed two waves of covid. Health authorities and officials have predicted a third wave of covid, which must be considered in order to prepare for it efficiently. Unfortunately, the 2nd wave of covid caused a sudden surge in the number of deaths and reported cases.
What is an epidemic wave?
An epidemic wave describes the increasing and falling trends of infections throughout time. The growth curve has the appearance of a wave. Historically, the term “wave” was used to describe the disease’s seasonality. Several viral infections have a seasonal pattern and reoccur at regular intervals. Infections rise and fall, only to increase again after a period of time.
According to the India Academy of Pediatrics, a third wave is possible, although its occurrence and severity would be difficult to predict. What might happen eventually is that the virus would have lost its severity, lowering the transmission rates and making it an epidemic within a smaller community.
The media has come forward to portray and highlight the covid situation in India; however, a lot of unnecessary false news has made the industry barely reliable anymore. Media also suggests that perhaps, the third wave would affect and cause more severe implications for children infected with the virus. This would suggest that, slowly, the entire general population would be at the mercy of the deadly covid-19 virus.
In opposition to the fact mentioned above, it is also important to understand that children are just as susceptible to infection as adults and older people, although they do not acquire serious diseases. It’s quite improbable that the third wave will affect youngsters primarily or solely. Following covid appropriate behaviors are essential in order to stay healthy and lower the level of community transmission any which way.
Should you be worried about children beginning to have moderately severe symptoms in the third wave?
It is a likely outcome, provided the overall number of infected people rise detrimentally. However, the first and second wave of covid has not seen many cases of covid positive children with moderate-severe cases, unless the child has some comorbidities. Besides educating your child on the necessities of adhering to the safety protocols, checking up on their mental health, reducing screen time, and homeschooling can help achieve a positive behavioral attitude. The virus needs specific receptors in the body to bind to; fortunately, children have a lower expression of these receptors, which inevitably makes children lesser susceptible to having a moderate or severe infection.
Does this mean children will not get severely infected?
Conditions like pneumonia and Multisystem inflammatory syndrome are two typical severe illnesses seen in covid infected children. If caught early enough, it’s a curable illness with a good prognosis. Furthermore, most children with MIS-C are unable to spread the virus to others. It is advised to get admitted into ICU care for better precaution.
To prepare for the third wave of covid,
- Covid management recommendations for children have been established by the IAP.
- Pediatricians have been educated and trained on the topic as well.
- India must expect and be prepared to see a rise in the number of patients seeking consultations.
- Using various channels to educate parents about sickness and warning signs can help raise awareness and involvement.
- More high-dependency units (HDU) and intensive care units (ICU)s can accommodate more covid positive children with severe symptoms.
As parents, remember to set good examples for your children, follow all the required norms, and continue reinforcing the behavior so that children can learn to adjust to this new and difficult environment more efficiently.
