Over 1K In 0-18 Age Group Infected In 7 Days; Experts Caution Odisha Govt On Reopening Schools

Bhubaneswar: With over 1000 children and adolescents getting infected by COVID since August 15, experts have cautioned the Odisha government on reopening regular classes for all students.

A total of 8191 people have tested COVID-19 positive since August 15 and 1049 among are in the age group of 0-18 years, which is 12.80 per cent of the total infections reported during this period.

While Odisha’s tally was 9.96 lakh till August 16, only 41,946 children from 0-14 years were found infected. The infection rate was 4.21 per cent.

“The rate of infections in the below-18 years population in Odisha corresponds to the national average. The state does not have higher infections among children,” Director of Health and Family Welfare and head of Odisha’s vaccination drive, Bijay Panigrahi told the media.

Alarmed by the data, the government is adopting a wait and watch policy despite the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights recommending reopening of Classes VI to VIII in a phased manner.

Schools have reopened for Classes IX and X students in Odisha since July 26 and there have been reports of infections among students attending offline classes. Students of three private and a government schools have been found infected.

“The government will finalise its strategy for opening the rest of the classes by the first week of September, depending on the trend of infections in the age group of 0-18 years,” Senior School and Mass Education Department officials said.

According to Panigrahi, a decision to innoculate children above 12 years in the state will be made soon following approval from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Also Read: COVID Active Cases Drop Below 9K In Odisha; Khurda & Cuttack Account For 53% Of New Infections