Omicron's behavior 'very mild', rarely affecting babies, says health expert

A senior doctor at Max Smart Super Specialty Hospital, Saket on Monday claimed that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been affecting children. He said that the variant is behaving very mildly and rarely affecting newborn babies. The health expert's comment comes amid a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in India.

Taking cognisance of the sudden rise in the coronavirus infections in the country, Chief Advisor, Paediatrics and Infectious Diseases, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, Dr Arvind Taneja said that virus is affecting children mildly. “This virus is behaving very mildly and rarely affecting newborn babies to the extent that, even mothers who have given birth during this period are not affected. The babies are not born with any defects or abnormalities,” he told ANI.

“This virus is affecting children mildly. Mildly here means that they are getting a mild running nose, cough. In a few cases, high fever was reported but that does translate to the Omicron effect. If any person in the family is detected positive for COVID-19, they should home-quarantine themselves. That is the only precaution to take at the moment to curtail the spread of the virus,” Dr Taneja added.

'Third wave could spread like a ‘Tsunami’

Speaking about the spreading of the virus, Dr Taneja said that the public must be extra cautious. He reiterated an earlier comment by the WHO chief and said that the infection could spread like a ‘Tsunami’. “I believe that once the virus comes into the home, it spreads like wildfire. The third wave has already hit Delhi and major metropolises like Mumbai. Within a few weeks in January, the Omicron driven third wave will come like a Tsunami and will also disappear like a Tsunami,” he said.

Furthermore, the doctor lauded the Prime Minister’s decision to roll out the precautionary dose of COVID-19 vaccine for people aged above 60 years and vaccines for teens between 15-18 years of age. He said, “It is better to immunise this age group to reduce transmissibility. Senior citizens fall under the category of high-risk groups. Every healthcare, frontline worker, senior citizen and teens between 15-18 years of age should be fully vaccinated.” The country’s COVID-19 vaccination program for children aged between 15 and 18 years began on January 3, 2022.

COVID-19 situation in India

The nation on Monday recorded 1,79,723 fresh COVID-19 cases. This took the active caseload recorded in the country to 7,23,619. The daily positivity rate stood at 13.29 per cent. India recorded 146 deaths in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, a total of 4,033 fresh cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been reported. Maharashtra leads the chart with most cases reporting 1,216 cases, followed by Rajasthan with 529 and Delhi with 513.

(With ANI inputs)

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