Covid 4th wave: Symptoms in children that parents should monitor amid rise of XE variant

More than two months after India overcame the third wave of the pandemic powered by the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the number of infections is again going up in multiple parts of the country. Amid fears around an incoming fourth wave, one of the biggest concerns has been the spread of Covid-19 among children.

With schools reopening, cities including Delhi and neighbouring Noida, have reported a significant number of Covid-19 case toll among children, especially school students. A day ago, nearly one-third of the total new cases detected in Noida were children. The Delhi government has come out with SOPs for schools to manage infections in children and control potential spread. 

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Mild symptoms, no cause for panic

The recent rise in cases in the backdrop of the new XE subvariant emerging has prompted groups of parents come out and urge for online classes to resume and physical classes to be put on hold for the time being. But while the concerns of parents are justified, pandemic experts are trying to calm nerves and allay the panic.

The symptoms that have been observed in children till now have been relatively mild and recovery has been timely with appropriate treatment. Doctors dealing with cases of children currently suggest that parents should be on the look out for symptoms that are gastrointestinal in nature like stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, and those that are seen in bouts of flu.

Practitioners in Delhi NCR have been observing an increase in complaints of children suffering with flu-like symptoms in the last 2 weeks or so, said Dr Gurleen Sikka at the Department of Neonatology & Paediatrics at Delhi’s CK Birla Hospital, as quoted in a Hindustan Times report.

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Symptoms to watch out for

With the adult population more or less vaccinated, children fall among the group that do not have antibodies against Covid-19. Hence, there is a need to be alert for parents to recognise if their children are showing symptoms linked to the virus.  

The symptoms seen with the mostly mild cases of Covid-19 in children include symptoms linked to the upper respiratory tract – runny nose, dry cough, throat ache, fever and body ache. Some cases are also seeing children suffer from vomiting or diarrhoea-like symptoms.

Doctors recommend that parents get their children, if eligible, vaccinated against Covid-19 at the earliest. Furthermore, it is essential to follow the Covid protocol, maintain good hygiene and ensure nutrition of the child in order to build up immunity.

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