Experts stress on paediatric vaccination- third wave of Covid-19 will catch young population under 18 years of age

PARAG BISWAS, SNS, SILIGURI, 6 MAY 2021: On a day when India recorded the highest number of fresh cases and fatalities with 4,12262 new infections and 3,980 deaths, the centre's announcement that the country would witness the third wave of Covid-19 infections, has sent chills down the spines of the health authorities and the general public.

After infecting largely senior citizens in the first and younger population in the second wave, presumed to have originated in Maharashtra and nearing its peak now, health experts in India arc anticipating the third wave would affect a large number of children and teenagers in the country.

Experts in the field of medicine and infectious diseases in Siliguri said today that the government must expedite paediatric vaccination rollout, otherwise the anticipated third wave of Covid-19 will catch young population under 18 years of age and it would be a "very serious" form of Covid-19.

"Paediatric vaccine roll out is important. Otherwise the third wave will affect unvaccinated people below 18 years of age," said Dr Sharmistha Bhattacherjee, Head of the Department of Community Medicine at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. "Vaccination for citizens between 18 and 44 years of age group has already started. Many people above this age-group will already have the vaccine protection by the time the third wave arrives. So now, the virus will target those who don't have this protection," said Dr Bhattacherjee.

Though Covid-19 hardly creates serious complications in children at present, they may infect the 18 plus population around them. "Though children don't suffer severe illnesses, they are carriers of the infection. They can infect the elderly. To avoid this, we need vaccine for kids," she said.

The senior community medicine expert, however, felt that it might take some time for the developers of vaccines to conduct human trials on children. "A few trials of the vaccine have taken place among children in the US, but it will take sometime for the researchers to access the results of the trials and develop vaccines for the kids," she said.

Dr Kaushik Bhattacharya, who agreed with Dr Sharmistha, said children between six and 12 years would be more vulnerable during the third wave.

"The third wave could be more serious for children from zero to 18 years of age. The 0-18 age group consists of 30 percent of total population of India and herd immunity is impossible without vaccinating such a major pan. We shall be able to open schools and get back to normal life only if we vaccinate at least 70 percent of our population," said the senior surgeon of Siliguri.