Present surge is Covid cases mild, shutting down schools a 'knee-jerk reaction', says Delhi doctor
Highlights
- A senior doctor at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said that the surge in Covid cases is mild.
- He also called the shutting down of schools a knee jerk reaction.
- The senior pediatrician believes most cases in the past 10 days are mainly due to BA.2 variant.
Amid a rise in Covid cases in the national capital, Paediatric Pulmonologist at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Dhiren Gupta, on Friday said that those contracting Covid during the surge have "mild" symptoms. He also called the shutting down of schools due to teachers and students contracting COVID-19 a "knee jerk" reaction.
"With the present trend, I feel it is a knee-jerk reaction. In the last two years, we have destroyed the younger generation as their mental and physical development is wasted. The real investment of a country is children. If they don't progress then after 10 years we will have weak personalities," Dr Gupta told news agency ANI.
"With the present trend, we should not shut our schools and the government should tell us that no schools should have the authority to shut down. When adults are vaccinated and have natural immunity then they are not panicking as well. We should give importance to our kids more than any business or establishment," he added.
The senior pediatrician believes according to data most cases in the past 10 days are mainly due to BA.2 variant. "So we have witnessed BA1, we have witnessed BA.2, and likely those pockets who were less infected or didn't get an infection in the previous phase, now they are getting infected. And in those groups, those who are not vaccinated probably the subgroup is also getting this type of infection and very likely that children from four years to 14 years, who never were exposed to this BA2 variant are now Getting infection," he added.
On Thursday, Delhi reported 325 Covid cases, a marginal rise from 299 the previous day. The city conducted 13,576 Covid tests of which 2.39 per cent samples were tested positive.
Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia earlier today said that closing schools would be the last option. Partial closure would be implemented if required.
