Fortify health infrastructure to protect kids from third wave: Centre tells states

Centre has asked the states to intensify preparations to protect children from the potential next Covid wave.

Anticipating the impact of the third wave of Covid-19 on children it has asked all districts to make special arrangements, a 50-100 bedded facility at the district level, people in the know told ET.

“The states have been asked to keep a sharp focus on developing health infrastructure for children. There should be 50-100 bedded facilities with ICU at the district level,” said a senior government official.


The health ministry on Thursday also reviewed preparations under the recently approved, Rs 23,123 crore for ‘India Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package: Phase II’, and interacted with the health secretaries and senior officials of all states/UTs, stressing on advance preparations for pediatric care.

“There is a need to have high dependency oxygen beds, ICU, ventilator facilities for children all over the country. Special arrangements so that parents can stay along,” added the official.

The Phase-II of the Emergency Covid-19 response package aims to ‘accelerate health system preparedness’ that would “help in strengthening decentralised public health actions and public health facilities in rural, peri-urban and tribal areas”, the health ministry said on Thursday in a statement.

The Centre has asked the states to increase testing capacity and provide additional beds, including paediatric care and makeshift hospitals in sub-district levels.

So far the government has allayed fears about children being affected due to a potential third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Sero studies have shown that children were as infected as adults during the second wave and production of antibodies was similar in all age groups, indicating that children had contracted the virus but had mild infections, VK Paul, member Niti Aayog has said earlier.

According to government officials in the earlier waves children did not get seriously infected. But they said that India will not let its guard down. “The government will continue to prepare for a surge in paediatric Covid-19 cases as the virus is mutating,” added the official.

Ever since Covid-19 started to spread last year, schools have remained closed in India, and government officials say schools will not be reopened in a hurry.