3rd wave: State mulls forming teams to take care of orphans

Kolkata: As a part of its fight against the possible third wave, the state health department plans to utilise the Covid warriors for taking care of orphans who may get infected with the virus. The health department has come up with the idea of forming teams of Covid warriors so that they can be inducted into the service if there is a need in the course of time.

As the experts have pointed out that there may be a third wave of Covid during which more children may be affected than the second wave, the health department has been contemplating as to how to put in place adequate infrastructure so that orphans can be treated. Arrangements are being made in the hospitals in such a manner so that the mothers can also be accommodated along with their infected children. In the case of orphans, there will be none to look after them. Keeping this in mind, the health department would impart training among the Covid warriors so that they can look after the Covid infected orphans in the hospitals. A meeting was recently held in this regard between the senior officials of the Health department and Women and Child Welfare department.

The state government has already started taking various preventive measures to combat if there is any third wave. In case of the children who stay at their relatives' house and get infected with the virus, they may require some attendants in the hospitals. The trained Covid warriors can also be deployed in such cases. There will be both male and female Covid warriors. Health department has plans to utilize the ASHA and Anganwadi workers if there is a third wave of Covid. Training would also be given to them so that they can be utilized in the rural areas. Anganwadi workers would also collect information from the households in the remote areas.

Health department may also provide Covid training among the private practitioners through various online programmes. Training has already been started among the pediatric and child specialists from the district hospitals. Surveillance is being done in various hospitals in the districts to check if the ICU and HDU units are functioning properly.