June 02, 2021
Children in India.
Reuters
In his first conversation with a counsellor, Alok (name changed to protect his identity) said nothing for 15 minutes. In the second call, the silence lasted 11 minutes.
In the third, eight minutes passed before the 10-year-old boy, who last month lost both his parents to Covid-19 , finally spoke.
Vanita Yadav, a child counsellor in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, has learned to wait until her young patients are ready to engage with her.
“When he first spoke, it was not about losing his parents but about his education,” said Yadav, who is based in Lucknow city. “He had studied hard and was worried that the continued lockdown might mean the exams would be cancelled.”
After the devastating second Covid wave, India is facing warning of a severe third wave but according to health experts, the timing of a third wave cannot be predicted but experience from other countries reveal that it is likely to take place .
India has reported over 2.8 crore COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in December 2019 (File)
New Delhi:
The government will conduct a fourth national sero survey to monitor the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, and prep for a potential third wave of infections.
The survey - to be led by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) - will take place in June with 28,000 blood samples - 14,000 each from adults and children over the age of six - to be analysed. Apart from focusing on children, it will also focus on rural areas of the country.