The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has begun preparations for the possible third wave of COVID-19, with a special focus on children.
NMMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar on Sunday held a meeting with doctors from the civic body’s COVID-19 task force and paediatricians of the Navi Mumbai unit of the All India Paediatricians’ Association.
It was suggested at the meeting that adequate oxygen beds, ICU beds, and paediatric ventilators should be provided for the treatment of children with severe symptoms. “We also discussed the need to train some of the available medical manpower to work in paediatric wards and ICU wards from now on and making arrangements of stay for either of the parents of the affected child,” Mr. Bangar said.
Currently, mild symptoms were found in children and most of the children testing positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic, he said.
“The possibility of a severe spread among children is less but yet, we have decided to prepare for the treatment facilities. Issues involving post-COVID-19 recovery and the kind of tests that should be conducted on children also came up for discussions. Paediatricians were told that an immediate test on the children with symptoms should be done at the earliest,” the Commissioner said.
Mr. Bangar further said the news that the third wave was going to have a big impact on children had created fear in the minds of parents. “However, paediatricians said the situation would not be as serious as we imagine,” he said.
