What you need to know
The second wave of COVID has hit us extremely hard. The virus has mutated several times and is rapidly spreading. As the seriousness of the situation is slowly sinking in, hospital beds are filled , the oxygen supplies are rapidly depleting and the life saving drugs are becoming scarce.
Innumerable messages and news items are abounding in all the media, some of them genuine, but many of them bordering on the ridiculous.
Let me share some genuine and scientific Facts that will keep you alert and aware of the disease.
Q1.How is the second wave different from the first wave?
- In the first wave, the predominant presentation was fever with cough, sore throat , loss of smell and taste. In the second wave , these symptoms are not very prominent. The fever is associated with frequent passage of stools, which may or may not be loose motions. Also, the patients have vomiting, stomach pain and extreme tiredness as the initial symptoms.
Q2: Is the virus in the second wave different from that in the first wave?
- In the second wave, the virus has undergone several structural changes or mutations which are important to ensure its survival in nature. Some of these mutations have resulted in the Brazilian variant, the UK variant and the South African variant. These mutants have caused different symptoms in this second wave.
Q3:Are children also affected with Covid?
- Yes. In the second wave, many pediatric cases , including young infants have been tested as positive.In most of these cases, the parents and other members of the family have also tested positive , and passed on the infection to the children.
Q4: Is the infection very severe in children?
- Fortunately, most of the children who are infected, almost 90-95% do not have any symptoms or have very mild symptoms. These symptoms may include fever, loose motions, frequent motions, stomach pain or cough and cold. But most of the children have no symptoms at all, remain active and with good appetite.
Q5: Is it possible to manage the children at home or do they need to be hospitalised?
-Most of the children are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. These children need to be quarantined and can be cared for at home. If they have fever, they can be given Paracetamol. They need a nutritious diet and plenty of fluids like water, soup, juice etc, all home prepared. The children should be kept away from grandparents and any elders in the family. 14 days of quarantine are currently recommended for these asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic children.
Please remember:
- WEAR your MASK
- ENSURE a minimum distance of 6 feet between others
- Frequently WASH your hands or use a SANITIZER.
STAY ALERT ,STAY SAFE