Ernakulam sees spike in number of infected children in COVID second wave

Delta variant of virus could be a reason, says expert

SARS-CoV-2 infection among children and teenagers saw an increase of two percentage points in the second wave compared to the first wave in Ernakulam, according to official estimates. Of the about 2.4 lakh tested positive in the second wave, 39,427 were children. This accounted for nearly 16% of the total infected population in the district. In the first wave, 18,307 children were infected. The total count of positive cases in the previous wave was about 1.28 lakh. Children amounted to nearly 14% of the infected in the first wave, as per data available with the Health Department. Two children had died owing to the infection. The first death of a 16-year-old girl was reported on October 13 last year. A fifteen-year-old girl’s death was reported on June 12. Six cases of MISC (Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children) were detected in the district. All the cases were reported in the second wave.