Team Herald
PANJIM: Dr Shekhar Salkar, who was part of the State Steering Committee on the third wave that held their meeting on Thursday, has said that a recent study has revealed that there are antibodies in 66.40% children in the age group of 5-17.
He explained that in the paediatric sero survey conducted by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) cell of the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), samples of 500 children were drawn from different centres located in Goa, which then showed that 66.40% children have developed antibodies.
Speaking to media persons on Friday, Dr Salkar said this study should allay fears that were there in the minds of the public, especially parents about how children can be affected by the third wave. Based on the research carried out, he said the impact of the third wave of Covid 19 may not be as severe as contemplated because children have already developed these antibodies.
It is to be noted that the Steering Committee has said that the infrastructure in the State is ready if the third wave does hit Goa.
The Steering committee also decided to take a call on opening of schools after Ganesh Chaturthi.
Speaking about reopening of schools, Dr Salkar suggested that schools could be reopened using hybrid mode of teaching in the beginning given that many students presently do not have access to smartphones and have issues with network connectivity in their respective areas.
By hybrid mode, he meant dividing the class amongst those who can attend and those who can attend it online.
His suggestion is that those students who can attend offline physical classes once school reopens and those who have smartphones and good network can attend these classes from home.
He said this hybrid mode will help students and teachers to follow the SOPs easily as well as maintain social distance.
“If the situation permits, gradually physical classes for all students could also be started,” Dr Salkar added.
He has also opined that continuous online classes will have a toll on the mental health of the children as well as parents.
