Indian state gears up to protect children from third COVID wave

Maharashtra trains thousands of health workers in taking care of children afflicted with COVID as first line of defence.

India’s western state of Maharashtra is training thousands of health workers in taking care of children afflicted with COVID-19 as a first line of defence against surges involving new variants, health officials and experts said. The state, home to the financial capital of Mumbai, was the worst hit by a devastating second wave of infections in April and May that killed hundreds of thousands, and is still reporting a quarter of all new cases nationwide. It has reimposed curbs to rein in the fast-spreading Delta variant that has touched off new outbreaks globally, even as daily national tallies stand at their lowest in nearly two months, allowing some states to reopen businesses.