As the debate over the reopening of schools rages on in India, the country registered more than three lakh new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, a 12.2 percent increase from Tuesday, and 491 people succumbed to the infection in 24 hours. which took the toll of the pandemic to 487,693. The country has yet to witness a peak in the third wave, with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus reinfecting even those who have been fully vaccinated. In such a scenario, experts believe that reopening schools poses a risk of making children vulnerable to contracting the infection.
India has not yet started vaccinating children under 15 and some between the ages of 15 and 17 have only received their first dose. Vaccination for the 15-17 age group opened earlier this month. Re-opening schools would mean that all those under 15 who have not been vaccinated are at risk of becoming infected.
Global experts have said the new strain of the coronavirus could have long-term effects, including some on the brain and neurodevelopment, on unvaccinated children.
Anthony Costello, professor of global health and sustainable development at UCL and former director of WHO, said at a conference: “My main concern is the long-term effects of the virus, particularly on the brain. We know people who become fatigued, brain fog as long-term effects of the coronavirus.”
He also claimed to have looked at documents proving that the coronavirus affects T cells and can damage them in the same way as HIV, affecting the infected person’s immunity.
“Virus can’t damage nerve cells, but it can affect cells around blood vessels that have long-lasting effects, especially on the brain,” he said during The Independent SAGE’s discussion.
Speaking of children, he said: “We have made it possible for millions of our children to be affected by this virus. There’s no really hard evidence to suggest that the virus is milder than delta in unvaccinated people.”
Only with time and growing scientific interest can we learn the impact of coronavirus on the brain, he suggested. “We know that measles causes neurodegeneration in a few children, the Zika virus destroys the brains of babies,” said the international expert, adding that the magnitude of the virus and its long-term effects on children, especially for unvaccinated children, are yet to be fully understood. are studied.
Educational institutions across India, meanwhile, are debating the reopening of schools. Some states such as Maharashtra have announced to reopen schools in areas with fewer Covid-19 cases, with schools in most parts of the country remaining closed. There is a growing fear that the virus will affect the children and have long-term consequences for them.
Although they are concerned about learning loss, most Indian parents are still unwilling to send their children back to school. A LocalCirles Survey report suggested that about 52 percent of parents are unwilling to send their children to school as cases are rising in their respective cities. Another 10 percent of parents said they are unwilling to send children back to school until cases start to subside. Only 18 percent of parents said they send their children to school despite Omicron – the new strain of the coronavirus, according to the survey.
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