Fact Check: Does COVID-19 not affect children below 18 years of age?

Amid the grim situation over the COVID-19 crisis in the country, there have been several rumours doing rounds regarding COVID, some creating paranoia while several others leading to complacency among the citizens. One of the rumours doing rounds is that that COVID-19 does not affect children below 18 years. The Union Government has asked the nation not to believe in the rumour and urged to visit the government's website giving all the details of COVID-19.

COVID-19 in children

COVID in infants and children has been a serious issue as the second wave of COVID-19 gripped the country with a steep rise in Coronavirus infections and children also being impacted in this second wave.

Speaking with Republic Media Network, Dr Sanjeev Bagai, a senior Paediatrician & Chairman at Nephron Clinic cited studies highlighting that in the first phase, the infant population affected by COVID-19 was 2% - 11% of the total global population, whereas this year in the second wave it has shot up to 22% - 25%. 

Citing a data analysis of the United States, Dr Bagai stated that in some of the clusters, the population of children getting affected by COVID-19 is 73% of the total population in the clusters. "Children are known to carry the same viral load but transmit it 17 times more within the households," Dr Bagai said.

He also spoke at length over the symptoms shown by children if infected by COVID-19. Dr Bagai said, earlier the symptoms in children were cough or breathlessness or fever but now children are showing gastrointestinal symptoms such as loose motions, vomiting, stomach pain, rashes (like Vasculitis kind of rashes), cold clammy and cold extremities. Some of them have even got altered sensorium, said Dr Bagai while adding that 10% of the children have a long COVID issue which spills over three to six months after recovery.