Official sources said on Saturday that 14 COVID-19 positive children have been taken to hospitals in the national capital after a teacher and student caught the coronavirus infection. The majority of the children have comorbidities.
“As many as 14 COVID positive children those who are admitted in private and government hospitals of here, are most of them comes under comorbidities,” ANI reported.
On Thursday, a student and a teacher at a private school in South Delhi tested positive, and other children in the same class were sent home. It is significant because schools began operating completely offline on April 1 after all COVID-related restrictions were abolished on February 28 due to the low positive rate.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has issued a new advisory to schools in the national capital, instructing them to temporarily close the whole campus or specific wings if any kid or staff member tests positive for COVID-19. According to the advise, students and instructors should rigorously adhere to the COVID-19 rules, which include maintaining social distancing, sanitising hands, wearing masks, and so on.
However, a Delhi doctor described the school closures due to instructors and kids catching COVID-19 a “knee jerk” reaction, adding that persons infected with COVID exhibit mild symptoms.
Dr Dhiren Gupta, Paediatric Pulmonologist at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, “With the present trend, I feel it is a knee-jerk reaction. In the last two years, we have destroyed the younger generation as their mental and physical development is wasted. The real investment of a country is children. If they don’t progress then after 10 years we will have weak personalities.”
The national capital has seen an increase in coronavirus infections in recent days. According to a health advisory issued on Friday, Delhi has reported 366 COVID-19 cases in the previous 24 hours, with a positive rate of over 4% (3.95%).