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Express News Service KOCHI: Not many children were affected when the first wave of Covid hit the state last year. However, the second wave saw more children getting infected. Now, with the third wave of the pandemic imminent, experts have advised parents to get vaccinated and urged the state to be prepared to handle worse health conditions in youngsters, especially those aged below 18. Global-level studies reveal that Covid can affect children in two ways: either with symptoms such as fever and pneumonia, or as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a condition in which body parts such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or intestinal organs get inflamed. It affects kids after 3-6 weeks of infection. Cases of MIS-C have already been reported in Kerala. Doctors said failure to identify these cases early can prove fatal. ....
Express News Service ERNAKULAM: Amid the gloom of an unrelenting pandemic, several kind hearts across Kerala are braving personal risks to be at the forefront of the COVID battle. Sheer humanitarian concern spurs them towards selfless service day after day. Be it bidding COVID victims a dignified farewell, distribution of essentials or blood donation, the Sahrudaya Samaritans are just a call away for assistance. This, at a time when families of those who passed away at their homes are reluctant to touch or handle the bodies of their loved ones. Antony MT, a social worker residing at Kadamakkudy in Kochi, recounts instances of handling dead bodies, kitted up in PPEs, for over five or six hours. The fear of infecting his four children and elderly parents grips him every waking moment. ....
New challenge: Kerala losing Covid death count With the second wave that has seen cases surging exponentially in state, fatalities among younger generation raise concern Share Via Email | A+A A- Express News Service KOCHI: One of the biggest achievements of the state government in the battle against Covid-19 so far has been in keeping the mortality rate relatively low in Kerala. However, with the second wave of the pandemic, the number of fatalities has been rising steadily in several districts, with deaths reported even among the youth, raising serious concerns.Over 5,500 people have died of Covid-19 so far in Kerala, as per official records. The number may be even higher if the unreported deaths are also to be taken into account. Keeping the mortality rate low will be a challenge for the state in the coming days. ....
Unable to get access to ventilators and oxygen beds, many Covid patients being shifted to other districts Share Via Email | A+A A- Flouting social distancing norms, people gather in front of Ernakulam General Hospital to give their swab samples for Covid test on Monday | Albin Mathew Express News Service KOCHI: A lack of ventilators and ICU beds for Covid patients in private hospitals has hampered treatment in the district. With many struggling to get beds at private facilities, Covid patients are being shifted to nearby districts, like Thrissur and Kottayam, seeking hospital admission. Allegations of not being provided timely treatment and oxygen support, paving the way for deaths, have been raised by people from various regions. ....
Technologies used to make vaccine can determine its efficacy against variants, say experts Share Via Email | A+A A- A health worker administers the vaccine to an elderly woman in an autorickshaw stationed outside a vaccination centre in Thiruvananthapuram | File Pic Express News Service KOCHI: With tests proving its efficacy against most variants of the novel coronavirus, Covaxin India’s homegrown Covid vaccine developed and manufactured by Bharat Biotech has earned the support of experts the world over.As it has proven effective against the double mutated Indian variant, experts say that it would be wise to administer Covaxin to vaccinate those in the 18-44 age group. More so, since those in the younger age group are getting infected in the second wave. Earlier, studies by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have found that Covaxin was effective against the UK variant. ....