Tag: Vaccines For Children

‘To Avoid Shutdown, Schools Are Hiding Covid Figures’

By LokMarg

Nirmala Joshi, 36, a mother of two in Meerut, says she is skeptical about sending her children to schools as Covid-19 cases see an uptick again

I have two school-going children, one aged 14 and the other nine. It was a big relief for parents when Covid cases subsided and the government allowed the schools to reopen. But as soon as the other restrictions were also lifted, we are seeing a minor surge in infections again even though as of now, the Covid situation appears to be under control.

I myself drop my children to school and observe if the school teachers and other staff are following the Covid protocols, as were assured and instructed by the school authorities. I am relieved that many of these guidelines are being duly followed.

However, social distancing has gone for a toss. And how can it not be when the strength of the school is around 4,000-plus, with 40 students sitting in one classroom. On an average, students spend five to six hours a day in the school. Therefore, as Covid cases being to rise slowly again, I am scared of sending my kids to school.

One major issue is that school administrations are not very transparent about reporting these cases; they prefer to shove them under the carpet. Recently I came to know through a parents’ WhatsApp group that one of the teachers was suspected to have tested positive of Covid. The parents went into a tizzy. But instead of coming clean on the topic, the school administrators told all the teachers to maintain silence on the issue.

Later we got to know that several teachers and students in the school had reported positive. But the school authorities wouldn’t admit it. They had a deadpan response: ‘We can neither confirm nor deny.’ As a parent I believe, we would be safer if we were aware of all the facts.

Joshi (inset) has two school-going children

There were many schools in UP and NCR who showed courage and came forward to provide detailed data on school outbreaks. But most of them chose to keep such information under wraps.

ALSO READ: ‘As Schools Reopen, Teachers Are Happy But Scared’

An email shared on our WhatsApp group showed the principal of a popular school in our region telling the teachers: “Staff who test positive are not to notify any other staff members, parents of their students or any other person/entity that they may have exposed them.” This has left many teachers vulnerable to infections.

We understand the schools are trying to avoid the shutdown and are therefore hiding the truth. But in the name of protecting personal privacy, they are actually sacrificing public health concerns. The system needs to understand that if Covid outbreak happens among children, the hospitals will be flooded with parents as unlike adults they cannot stay in a hospital alone.

All I want from schools is transparency of Covid data. Any attempt to suppress it will put rumour mills in overdrive. You don’t scare people by telling them what’s going on. You scare them by hiding information.

As told to Deepti Sharma

Covid Vaccines for Children in India

‘Vaccine For Kids Is Heartening News For All Parents’

By LokMarg

Shefali Malhotra, 40, a Noida-based entrepreneur and mother of a 10-year old, says she is both happy and anxious about the soon-to-be-rolled out Covid vaccines for children in India

I’m very relieved that finally a vaccine has been rolled out for children. In fact not one but two: Covaxin and ZyCovD. While the government has confirmed the use of ZyCovD in the immunisation drive for children from 2-18, the final decision is still awaited in the case of Covaxin. As a mother of a young child this is heartening news for me.

The third wave has been predicted after the festive season and it is being said that the paediatric population would be more at risk during the third wave. So it’s great news that the clinical trials of the vaccines have been done and they might be rolled out for children soon.

My only child, Samarth, is 10. So, my husband and I kept wondering when his turn for the jab would come. However, we don’t plan to rush in and get our son vaccinated once the process starts, even though clinical trials on different age groups of children have been thoroughly done. We plan to wait and watch, though not for too long. Call it a balanced, pragmatic approach if you will.

As a mother of a young child, one does get apprehensive about what side effects these vaccines might carry. These are growing kids and as such their bodies are going to react differently than that of adults. Moreover, their immunity isn’t as strong as that of grown-ups that they can fight back well in case of severe side effects.

Malhotra says outdoor activities have been limited for her son, Samarth, for the last two years

So in my opinion, we should be extra careful and do our research well before the vaccine can be administered. We should choose properly which vaccine we want our kid to be administered. One is prepared for the mild fever, body aches etc. but I would ensure I properly communicate with my child both before and after the vaccination to ensure the whole process is smooth for him.

In the past two years the kids haven’t been exposed to the elements much and their physical activities have gone down because they were cooped up inside the house for most part of the pandemic. There were reports/studies that since kids didn’t go out and play in the open, their immunity has taken a nosedive. Many of them have gained weight too because of lack of exercise and yet many others didn’t know how to manage their feelings of not being able to go out, go to school, meet friends. Kids have had a more difficult time making sense of the pandemic.

ALSO READ: ‘Won’t Send My Kid To School Without Vaccination’

I ensured that I was communicating well with my child throughout the pandemic. That way he wouldn’t be apprehensive or afraid of vaccination because he has most of his questions answered by his parents. We need to ease our kids into the vaccination process.

Also, the timing will be important. During my vaccination in May, I had a wisdom tooth issue. But I decided to go ahead and get my shot before getting the tooth extracted, though it aggravated my pain. I wouldn’t want my kid to go through any pain, just like any parent. My husband and I had spaced out our doses so that one parent would be in a good condition to take care of the child. If someone has more than one child, they should space out the doses of their children so they could be taken care of well.

I am happy that my child has begun to participate in outdoor activities like cycling, badminton etc. and I want him to have his childhood back. The two years that went without play, hope the vaccines will make up for that. His school has opened, though not fully, and vaccination would mean our child is safe in any surrounding. I hope the pandemic gets fully over soon.

As Told To Yog Maya Singh