Will not have serious Covid infection in children, says Dr Guleria

There is no evidence to show that the third wave of Covid-19 infections will affect children more than others, said Dr Randeep Guleria. Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, Dr Guleria made the statement while addressing the Health Ministry's press conference on Tuesday in New Delhi. “I don't think we will have a serious infection in children in the future," said Guleria.Guleria said data collected from both the waves of the coronavirus pandemic in the country showed that neither new variants nor the old ones caused severe infection in children. "No data, global or Indian, has had any observations of children being affected more. Even in the data from the second wave kids who were infected had mild illness or co-morbidities," he said.  

"In many parts of the world where new waves are happening there's no data to show children are being severely affected," he added. Most healthy children who were infected recovered without the need for hospitalisation. "It was seen in 1918, data shows that second wave was the biggest wave. Maximum deaths and cases were seen in the second wave but there was a smaller third wave also," Dr Guleria said. He also said that the best way to avoid a subsequent wave of Covid-19 and counter misinformation on subsequent waves causing more harm to children is to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, avoid crowds and break the chain of transmission.