BHUBANESWAR: The Government of Odisha decided on Wednesday, August 11, that it will conduct RT-PCR tests of children who are coming to medical institutions for treatment. The decision was made to understand and analyze the extent of COVID-19 infections before the third wave hits.
Suresh Mohapatra, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, will be heading the task force on paediatric COVID-19 care. He informed that the children being admitted will be compulsorily tested for the virus. To enforce the decision, a district-level task force will be formed that will constitute district wing officers, senior paediatric specialists, and anaesthesia specialists.
The Director of Public Health has been asked to plan out a strategy that will ensure the implementation of this decision and monitor its activity regularly. A health official explained that COVID-19 testing will give an estimate to officials on the level of COVID-19 spread in the age group. All children being admitted to the hospitals will be tested for the virus, regardless of their symptoms.
According to official data, 1.4 crore people in Odisha are aged below 18 years and hence have not been vaccinated. Moreover, in the latest serosurvey by the ICMR in three districts of the state, 55 per cent of people between the age group of 10-17 years have developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.