As Covid-19 targets kids, parents hunt for ways to protect them

A woman with a child gets screened for Covid-19 symptoms at Dadar. Pic/Ashish Raje

The rising number of Covid-19 cases among kids is slowly increasing parents' worries. With even more pressure to safeguard their kids, they are finding new ways to tackle the pandemic, like dedicated time for heart-to-hearts with the family and, in some cases, self-medication.

A child gets tested for Covid-19 at the NESCO Jumbo COVID centre in Goregaon. Pic/Satej Shinde

The second wave of Covid-19 impacted a larger number of children as compared to the first wave, with some children facing lasting effects. With experts saying that a third wave is almost certain, parents are wondering how to keep children engaged at home, especially during summer vacation.

"There is definitely a certain amount of stress. We have asked our daughter to remain at home just like the first lockdown and enforced other rules. It leads to questions like, ‘how can I go out with two masks?'" said Anand Shirali, a parent from Andheri. "In January, children had started going out to play in building complexes. That has stopped again. But till what point can you keep them entertained at home? Hence, we have special family conversation sessions where we share our feelings and talk about other things," Shirali added.

Risk of self-medication

Shirali said he has seen many parents opting for self-medication and other diagnostic practices. "Many parents are going for CT scans if their child shows any Covid-19-related symptom. Thanks to WhatsApp university, many are convinced that lung infections can show the severity of the problem. But amid the paranoia, aren't they risking children in a different way?" Shirali said.

The rampant spread of unverified information on social media is not helping matters. That is why Journey About Mast Moms (JAMM) - a support group of mothers with around 50,000 members from across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane are keeping an eye on WhatsApp groups.

Founder of the group and a single parent herself, Ritu G, shared, "There is considerable negativity with constant news updates. We are hearing a lot of things in the friends' circle too. Amid this, unverified information on social media is really dangerous. Our admins are working to stop their spread and providing clarity to panicking mothers." JAMM, as a group, also conducts virtual activities to keep mothers and children occupied in healthy ways. "We are also holding sessions with experts over weekends to resolve doubts," Ritu said.