BHUBANESWAR: The second wave of COVID-19 is affecting more children and younger adults aged 17 to 40, as compared to the first wave of the pandemic. Health experts warned any negligence may put a person in serious trouble at a time when there is no vaccine shield for the age group.
An analysis of COVID infected people between February 15 and April 12 revealed that of the 16,824 confirmed new cases, 1,316 children, aged below 16, and 8,702 adults in the age group of 17 to 40 have been infected with coronavirus.
While the share of children in the caseload has increased from 6% in the first wave to 8%, it has gone up from 50% to 52% among adults. As many as 21,254 children and 1,63,682 adults were infected between March 15 and December 31 last year.
What has set alarm bells ringing is the mortality rate among both categories of patients. Of the 11 persons who succumbed in the last two months, one was below 16 years and five were from 17-40 years, contributing to 9% and 45% of the new fatalities. Last year, it was 0.47% and 11% respectively.
The next category of people vulnerable to COVID-19 are those from 41 to 60 years. As many as 5,263 people have tested positive accounting for 31% of the caseload so far this year. Last year, 1,08,551 people (33%) had the infection.
Though 845 people (44% of the total fatalities) in the age group had succumbed during the first wave, this time not a single death has been recorded from the group so far.
While the infection among senior citizens might have reduced marginally, there is no significant change in the mortality rate. Nearly 9% people of 60 years and above contributed to the COVID-19 tally this time against 11% last time.
While 1,543 senior citizens have tested positive and five (45% of the fatalities) succumbed between mid-February and April 12, around 36,379 people in the 60-plus group were infected and 836 had died last year contributing to nearly 44% of the death toll. The state had registered a total of 3,29,866 confirmed cases and 1,907 deaths last year.
Health experts said children and adults have sustained the SARS-CoV-2 transmission with reproduction numbers (transmission rates) consistently above one this time which is attributed to opening of educational institutions and no or less use of masks and lack of social distancing.
Noted microbiologist Dr Tribhuban Mohan Mohapatra said children and teenagers seed infections among adults who are more transmission efficient. “They may be asymptomatic, but potential transmitters. Apart from enforcing COVID appropriate behaviour, the government should also think of additional interventions like vaccination of people below 45 years to bring the resurgence under control and avert deaths,” he suggested.
Director of National Health Mission Shalini Pandit said even as 90 per cent of the new cases are asymptomatic, strict adherence to COVID norms is the only remedy till the vaccination programme is extended to all.