Including phased return of back to school and strengthening of Public Healthcare Systems
It is with great shock that we learn of the influx of children presenting with COVID-19 symptoms and succumbing to the virus at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, despite government and scientists assuring communities.
Today, we have seen how the lack of communicating science efficiently to communities on the impacts children can experience has proven dismal, by both government and scientists advising. Children’s lives have been turned upside down by this pandemic. Between schools being closed and playdates being cancelled, children’s routines are anything but routine.
Children, including very young children, can develop COVID-19. Many of them have no symptoms. Those that do get sick tend to experience milder symptoms such as low-grade fever, fatigue, and cough. Some children have had severe complications, but this has been less common. Children with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk for severe illness. A complication that has more recently been observed in children can be severe and dangerous. Called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), it can lead to life-threatening problems with the heart and other organs in the body.
It is for these reasons that we call on the government to provide clear scientific data on the impacts that the new variant of Covid-19 has on children, also for the government and unions to consider a phased return back to school strategy to avoid super spreader infections and immediate strengthening of our public healthcare systems.
Community healthcare workers at the facility have shared their concerns that since December over 200 children had been treated for the virus and 23 recorded deaths in the Paediatric ward. As this situation continues to escalate, hospitals and frontline workers are overworked, and traumatized by the unprecedented amount of death they have witnessed.
This raises our concerns, as many schools prepare to return to classes next week, as a site for an exacerbated super spread of infections and mortalities.
During the first wave of the pandemic, there were 12% of patients presenting with COVID disease in the hospitals Paediatrics. To date, they have seen a steady influx peaking with 10% of admissions of paediatric cases with COVID, with 210 confirmed cases that required hospitalisation.
“This is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong. Moreover, the harmful effects of this pandemic will not be distributed equally. Thus we call on the government not to be careless when it comes to children, they must act in the best interest of the children as they are the hidden victims of the COVID-19 pandemic rather than the face of it,” says Steve Letsike, SANAC Co-Chairperson.
Letsike added that measures taken by the government to contain and mitigate the pandemic are having persistent and far-reaching impacts on children’s lives, a clearer plan on managing the schools, the access and education is key in that regard.
“We must not forget that although children may be less susceptible to infection this does not mean they are exempt from infection. But with the second wave this is something we don’t yet know about the incidence relating to children,” said Dr Joan van Nieker, SANAC Children Sector leader.
Van Niekerk adds that she believes that adults and older children should be actively discouraged from touching and/or playing with babies if they are not the parents or caregivers of that child. And even if one is the caregiver/parent one needs to ensure frequent handwashing and good sanitation.
“Mask wearing is not a good practice for infant development as face recognition and “reading” is an important process in early infancy. So if all is well at home, masks should not be worn,” says van Niekerk.
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Oliver Meth on 068 352 9045
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