Nagpur: According to an expert of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), schools need to be reopened in a phased manner, beginning with primary schools, followed by the secondary schools.
In an article in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, the experts cited a UNESCO report which stated that shutting of schools in India for more than 500 days has affected over 320 million children. While addressing an event, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said one of the main findings of ICMR’s fourth sero prevalence study conducted in June and July revealed that nearly the same percentage of children as adults have antibodies against Covid-19 even though the schools are closed.
Swaminathan added that there is no scientific basis to claim that the next Covid-19 wave will affect children. “Children are not vaccinated. So, it’s possible that the proportion of infection will change, but severity of disease is very minimal among the children if compared to adults,” she said.
Schools have started reopening in various parts of the country. Maharashtra, which was one of the worst-hit states due to Covid-19 in the second wave, has decided to reopen the schools for classes 5 to 12 in the rural areas from October 4 and classes 8 to 12 in the urban areas.
