Collect, Assess Data On Children Infected With Covid, Modi Tells Officials

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday prompted district officials collect data on children and young people being infected with COVID-19 – a worrying possibility as the virus, which has so far not attacked the younger age groups, mutates and spreads across India and the world.

He also warned officials to guard against wasting vaccine doses; he said it is “critical” to ensure maximum use of every vial and that wasting even one dose of the vaccine – of which there is a shortage amid the devastating second wave, meant depriving a person of a degree of safe keeping.

“Concerns have been raised for young people and children due to the mutation of the virus. I request you to collect data related to infection among youth and children in your district and review it continuously,” Modi said this afternoon.

PM Modi was speaking at a virtual meeting with district magistrates from 11 states, including Maharashtra, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh – three of the five most badly affected by the second wave.

The other states represented in today’s meeting were Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Odisha, Rajasthan, Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The Union Territory of Puducherry was also represented.

This is the Prime Minister’s second virtual meet with district officials in as many days; on Wednesday he said efforts are being made to increase vaccine supply.

The Prime Minister’s request for district-level data about COVID-19 and children come amid growing worry that a particularly aggressive strain – B.1.617.2 – is infecting younger age groups.

This week Uttarakhand said around 1,000 children had been infected in the past 10 days; over 1,600 of these were reported in the first two weeks of May.

On Monday Singapore – one of a few countries to have relative success in handling the pandemic – said new strains – such as the India-dominant B.1.617.2 – were affecting children in its territory.