COVID-19: Karnataka panel recommends setting up ICUs, psychiatric services for children in hospitals

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 22 (ANI): In order to combat the possible third wave of COVID, Karnataka Technical Advisory Committee recommended to establish Children High Dependency Units (HDUs), Intensive Care Units (ICUs) units and children hospital wings in medical college, district, and taluk hospitals.

The Committee held its meeting on Tuesday under the chairmanship of state COVID management in-charge Dr Devi Prasad Shetty on Tuesday and released a set of advises to the state government. It has submitted its report to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa today.

It has also suggested to emphasise on curtailing the malnutrition among children and to provide psychiatric services in every hospital to boost the morale of COVID infected children, adding that "children are likely to be more prone to the infection in the third wave".

On June 12, Lancet India Task Force had commissioned an advisory highlighting the planning, protocols and policy guidelines for paediatricians, ahead of a likely third wave of COVID-19 that is speculated to impact children.

Earlier, Dr SK Kabra, the Head of Paediatric Pulmonology, AIIMS, had said: "The speculation of third-wave hitting children is based on three observations. Firstly, there is speculation that below 18 will remain susceptible after the immunisation drive started for beneficiaries above 18 years. Secondly, people who already got infected may have resistance against the third wave and thirdly due to immunisation of the adult group, there will be a mutation in the virus. All these reasons may not be true though there is a possibility that the third wave of COVID-19 may be there but no reason to believe that this will be more severe in children."

On the school and college reopening front, the committee said that  students and teaching fraternity should be priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19. It also opined to review the phase-wise reopening of schools and colleges.

In the meeting, the Committee further explained about the facilities in COVID Care Centres regarding testing on children.

Meanwhile, the state government on Tuesday permitted functioning of all shops, other than air-conditioned shops, air-conditioned shopping complexes and malls, from 6 am to 1 pm in Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Davanagere, and Chamarajanagara districts with immediate effect till 5 am on July 5. (ANI)