Panaji: The Experts’ Committee formed by Goa government has recommended that the lactating mothers should be considered as a priority group for vaccination in the wake of third COVID-19 wave likely to affect the children.
The committee led by Dean of Goa Medical College and Hospital Dr Shivanand Bandekar on Saturday met to suggest the treatment protocol for the children during third wave.
“The lactating mothers with child of two years or less and the mothers with comorbidities should be given priority in the vaccination,” he said.
Bandekar said that it is anticipated that the transmission of COVID-19 to the children during third wave would be through the parents.
He said that as per the government figures, there are 2.5 lakh children below 12 years and total 3.5 to 4 lakh children who are below the age of 18 years.
Bandekar said that the recommendation of the Experts’ Committee would be placed before the Task Force, which is headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
A senior doctor at GMCH Dr Jagdish Kakodkar said that seven to eight percent of the total positive cases were that of children during the first wave, which has increased to almost twelve percent during the second wave.
“Same patter is noticed all across India,” he said.
Kakodkar said that the Experts’ committee has recommended that the number of Neonatal Intensive Care unit beds should be increased while there should be one Paediatric hospital in North and South Goa dedicated for the treatment in case third wave hits the state.
The committee also suggested that 50 per cent of the adult ICU beds should be converted into paediatric ICU beds, Kakodkar said.
The Experts’ committee also discussed the treatment protocol to be administered for the children during the third wave.
Kakodkar said that the protocol prescribed by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) would be followed in Goa.
