With the total infections among people in the 0-18 age group approaching the 1,000-mark in Odisha since August 15, experts have advised the government to take a cautious approach towards reopening schools for regular classes for all students.
Since August 15, a total of 7,430 persons have tested positive for COVID-19, while 948 persons in the 0-18 years age group have been found to be infected. Infections among children accounts for 12.75% of the total number of infections.
Till August 16, while Odisha’s total caseload was 9.96 lakh, only 41,946 children in the age group of 0-14 years were infected. The rate of infection was 4.21%.
“The rate of infections in the below-18 years population in Odisha corresponds to the national average. The State does not have higher infections among children,” said Bijay Panigrahi, the State’s Director of Health and Family Welfare and head of Odisha’s vaccination drive.
Though the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights recommended reopening of Classes 6 to 8 in a phased manner, the government is adopting a wait and watch policy. The child protection body wanted reopening of schools for students’ cognitive and academic development.
Now, schools are open for Classes 9 and 10 across the State. There have been reports of infections among students attending physical classes. Three private schools and one government school in Bhubaneswar reported new cases among students.
Senior officials in the School and Mass Education Department said, “The government will finalise its strategy for opening the rest of the classes by the first week of September, depending on the trend of infections in the population in the age group of 0-18 years.”
Dr. Panigrahi said a decision to vaccinate children above 12 years in the State would be taken soon after approval from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
