DNA Special: COVID variant found in Singapore to bring third wave in India?

Amid the third wave forecast in India, a new COVID strain in Singapore has frightened the whole world. This new strain is attacking children more quickly and is not a good sign for the world.

On Sunday, 38 new infections were reported in Singapore. And this is the highest number of new cases there in the last one year. However, you must be thinking that 38 cases is not much in a day. Because more patients have been infected with this virus in many villages of our country. But these 38 cases have worried the Government of Singapore.

The reason for this concern is that out of these 38 patients, four are children, who have been infected with the new variant of COVID-19. And it is claimed that this variant resembles B-1617. This is the same COVID strain, which is called Indian variant because its first case was found in India only. But there is also a fact that this variant was formed due to the mutation of the UK strain.

Health Authorities of Singapore have told that all these children were in contact with each other and that is why they got this infection.

In view of this, schools have now been closed there and in an official statement, it has been said that this new variant of the virus can affect children more and it is also very contagious. COVID has created a new danger for children, in view of which work has started in Singapore on the plan to apply vaccine to children below 16 years.

On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also described the variant found in Singapore as dangerous for children and appealed to the Central Government to cancel the air services with Singapore with immediate effect. Now some doctors are also saying that it is possible that the variant of the virus found in Singapore has mutated, and now its target can be children.

Apart from Singapore, the situation in Brazil is also not good. In the last few months in Brazil, 2200 children under 5 years of age have died due to coronavirus. And this is the highest number of children dying of this disease in the whole world. It is to be understood that unborn children are also considered to be at risk from this infection there. And this trend is bad news for the whole world.

Taiwan too has fought a fierce battle against the coronavirus so far, but now the infection has started spreading rapidly there as well. The Covid report of 333 new patients came positive in Taiwan on Sunday, following which schools were closed in areas of the capital Taipei and Red Zone to protect children from the infection.

Something similar happened in Hong Kong too. There, a four-month-old child became infected with the virus, after which the rules were tightened for school-going children. Now it will be compulsory for all children to undergo COVID test.

The circumstances of these countries are giving the same indication that now young children are at the target of this infection and this is not good news for our country. Children below 18 years account for 30 percent of the total population of India. In such a situation, the biggest challenge before our country is to protect these children from this new threat of COVID. Because scientists have also said that the third wave of the virus is sure to come and children.

What should be the preparation of our country to deal with this danger?

1. Special Task Force should be created to protect children from infection, which can review new cases and alert them to the dangers of the future.

2. Beds should be arranged for the treatment of children in hospitals at all levels.

3. Adequate supplies of essential medicines should be prepared.

4. Emphasize the availability of vaccines for children as soon as possible.

We had also told you earlier that this virus opens the pole of the system. When its first wave came, there was a shortage of masks, PPE kits and ICU beds in hospitals in the country. When all these shortcomings were corrected. In the second COVID wave, people under 45 years of age are dying and are also needing more oxygen. That is, the second wave opened the pole of oxygen-linked system. But now the government has also started taking steps for adequate supply of oxygen and it is possible that this virus will now come in the form of third wave and open the holes of new shortcomings.

Therefore, there are only two ways to avoid it. First is caution and second is preparation. Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus said that 'Prevention is Better Than Cure'. Prevention and avoidance requires caution and preparation. So, today we would like to tell you that the time has come when you should start worrying about children's masks along with your masks. The mask will act as a vaccine for the children until there is no vaccine for them.