Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has flagged a new Covid variant detected in Singapore, which he said, is proving dangerous for children. Arguing that it can “come as a third wave” in India, he suggested that the Centre takes immediate measures, including suspension of flights to and from Singapore.
“The new form of Corona that came to Singapore is being said to be extremely dangerous for children, in India it may come as a third wave. My appeal to the central government: 1. Air services with Singapore to be cancelled with immediate effect 2. Priority on vaccine options should be worked out for children too,” he said in a Hindi tweet.
The Delhi Chief Minister’s tweet comes amid concerns being raised over a third wave, which many experts said is likely to target children. The first wave has affected the elderly the most, and the younger people have been infected in the second wave, the experts reasoned.
“There is a possibility that the third wave virus will predominantly target the children, mainly because adults are either infected or immunised,” cardiac surgeon and chief of Narayana Health, Dr Devi Shetty has told NDTV. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has flagged a new Covid variant detected in Singapore, which he said, is proving dangerous for children. Arguing that it can “come as a third wave” in India, he suggested that the Centre takes immediate measures, including suspension of flights to and from Singapore.
“The new form of Corona that came to Singapore is being said to be extremely dangerous for children, in India it may come as a third wave. My appeal to the central government: 1. Air services with Singapore to be cancelled with immediate effect 2. Priority on vaccine options should be worked out for children too,” he said in a Hindi tweet.
The Delhi Chief Minister’s tweet comes amid concerns being raised over a third wave, which many experts said is likely to target children. The first wave has affected the elderly the most, and the younger people have been infected in the second wave, the experts reasoned.
“There is a possibility that the third wave virus will predominantly target the children, mainly because adults are either infected or immunised,” cardiac surgeon and chief of Narayana Health, Dr Devi Shetty has told NDTV.
Experts have also warned that the third wave of Covid-19 is due between October and December and it will hit children in a big way. They have urged both the Centre and state governments to chalk out strategies and gear up to handle the situation.
Recently, Singapore announced that it will close schools from Wednesday as authorities warned new coronavirus strains like the one first detected in India were affecting more children in the city-state.
The government has been tightening restrictions following a recent rise in local transmissions after months of near-zero cases.
At a virtual news conference late Sunday, authorities announced that primary and secondary schools as well as junior colleges would shift to full home-based learning from Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, citing a conversation he had with the ministry’s director of medical services Kenneth Mak, told a news conference Sunday that the B.1.617 strain “appears to affect children more”.
The strain was first detected in India.