COVID-19 : Why the Third Phase will affect children and What to do?

COVID-19

The COVID-19 from the family of coronavirus, has become a global endemic in the past few years. Since the discovery from the discovery of the coronavirus in December 31, 2019, COVID-19 has affected several millions of people from around the world and also resulted in deaths of many beloved ones.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Its major symptoms are:

• Fever
• Dry cough
• Fatigue

Other symptoms that are less common include: 

• Loss of taste or smell
• Nasal congestion (blocking)
• Conjunctivitis (red eyes)
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Muscle or joint pain
• Different types of skin rash
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Chills or dizziness  
  

Serious symptoms:

• Difficulty in Breathing
• Chest pain or pressure
• Loss of speech or movement

The Ongoing Second Wave

The second wave started in early February and there had been a sharp increase in the COVID cases and this wave of coronavirus has affected millions of people in the healthier age group of 25-40 years. This is because the first wave of coronavirus affected the elderly people the most and also because the vaccination of these elderly people was prioritized and almost completed. 

In India, the second Wave reached a peak of 4,14,188 cases on May 6, 2021 and the highest number of deaths were reported on May 18, 2021 with 4,529 deaths within a single day. Although the mortality rate of COVID-19 in India is low, the high number of cases itself indicates that the number of deaths will be more than the previous round of coronavirus.

This Ongoing Second Wave also turned out to be a major eye-opener of the medical conditions pre-existing in India. There has been  a major lack of medical oxygen in the hospitals which has been a major cause for deaths of thousands. Also, many loopholes existing in the transport of medical equipment have been exposed. 

However, the spread of the second wave of the coronavirus in not due to inefficiency of government but mainly due to the carelessness of the general public. Many people find the COVID-necessary precautions exhaustive and had stopped following them until the COVID cases spiked and aroused their conscience. The improper usage of masks, lack of social distancing and no sanitization has been the major cause for spread of coronavirus. People find it easy to blame the government but they refuse to look at their own negligence.

After the spike of the coronavirus in the second wave, the public is again shifting to follow the necessary COVID precautions. This showed some gradual decline in the cases but it is also essential that these precautions should be maintained for long time so that the COVID-19 cases be reduced to minimum for there lies the third wave of coronavirus ahead.

The Upcoming Third Wave

During the second wave, there has been many talks related to upcoming third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This third wave will begin soon after the decline of the second wave. There have been many discussions regarding this upcoming wave and scientists and doctors have suggested that this third wave will affect children the most. 

Why will it affect Children the most?

The Third Wave of COVID-19 is said to affect the children the most and there are many valid reasons for this:

First of all, since the coronavirus would have affected the adults or they would have been vaccinated, they would have developed antibodies to fight the virus so the only ones not having a proper defense system against the COVID-19.

The second reason is that since adults would be vaccinated by that time, so, if they get infected with COVID-19 they will only get mild symptoms and can unknowingly infect the children. The work on vaccination for children is in progress but it would still take a year at least to vaccinate the children.

Thirdly, children are energetic and following precautions for too long can drain their energy and make them feel spiritless. They may feel an urge to go outside of houses and this may be a cause of spread of infection 

Steps to prevent COVID among children

With being said that the third wave will affect children the most, it is important that we learn to how to protect oneself and their loved ones from coronavirus. It is not only the concern of parents to protect their children but children should also understand that it is their responsibility to protect themselves. There are some methods stated for both parents and children to protect themselves from this global pandemic.

For Parents

Generally, children tend to have a psychology to follow their parents. So, parents should follow a healthy lifestyle and practice the things that they want their children to do. This method works better than telling the children constantly to do these things. Constant nagging on children can change their mentality and they are less likely to follow the constant orders.

 Also for parents who work from home, they should spend some time with children as they are not able to go outdoors to play. Indoor games like Carrom, Ludo or Chess can be played to invigorate children. Parents should have a positive mindset and block off emotions that can cause negativity among the family.

For Children

Children should also be able to take care of themselves. One should obey their parents to enact a healthy lifestyle in their lives. Children should learn to stay at home. This can be done by developing hobbies like reading novels, playing some kind of instruments, drawing, etc. By developing hobbies, children can indulge themselves. Children should realize the danger that awaits them in the third wave and should maintain proper sanitization habits and also encourage their parents to do so.

Black Fungus: The Uninvited Guest

Black fungus or mucormycosis is fungal infection that mainly affects people who have pre-existing health problems or take medicines that lowers the body's immunity. It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs. These days, there has been an increase in the number of the cases of mucormycosis. There are cases of black fungus in patients who have suffered severely from coronavirus or in those people who suffer from uncontrolled diabetes.

The increase in the cases of black fungus is a growing concern as this disease has a high mortality rate and can be fatal if not diagnosed in time. Many patients have lost their eyesight due to this. The COVID-19 diagnosed patients who were kept on higher doses of steroids or those people who have uncontrolled diabetes get infected from black fungus. This is because the steroids or the diabetes greatly reduces the immunity of the individual and then the spores of black fungus develop in the bodies of such immunity-lacking individuals.

The symptoms of black fungus include headache, fever, pain under the eyes, nasal or sinus congestion and partial loss of vision. It can be fatal for people who are diabetic or those who have suppressed immunity as mentioned above.

It is necessary that if any individual develops such symptoms, they must consult a doctor as soon as possible as this disease is fatal and lead to sever consequences if not given treatment on time.

General Advice

Developing hobbies is a nice way to get rid of the negativity cause due to this coronavirus and home isolation. You, as an aware citizen must maintain proper sanitization habits, get vaccinated as soon as you can and only come out from house only if absolutely necessary. In this time of global pandemic, the only way to get rid of the virus is that we all follow necessary protocols. One will only be safe until everybody is safe which means until the masses are vaccinated, getting rid of coronavirus will not be an option. Remember the following points:

1. Always wear a mask properly
2. Practice social distancing
3. Regularly wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer