Children between 0-14 years less affected by COVID-19: Health Minister
An analysis shows that children between 0-14 years are less affected by COVID-19, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan informed the Lok Sabha on Friday. "Infection among children is mild and most of them remain asymptomatic," he noted. "Hence, no specific action plan has been formulated in the current response phase to minimize the adverse effects of COVID-19 on such children," he said.
Department of Pediatrics, AIIMS is documenting long-term effects on children
"Very rarely a severe illness, in form of the multi-system inflammatory syndrome, has been identified," Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, adding this happens usually three to six weeks after the infection. "The Department of Pediatrics, AIIMS, is documenting the long-term effects on children," he said.
Three-tier arrangement of health facilities to better manage COVID-19 cases
Dr. Harsh Vardhan further informed, "For appropriate management of COVID-19 cases, a three-tier arrangement of health facilities has been implemented." "The health facilities include COVID Care Centre with isolation beds for mild or pre-symptomatic cases, Dedicated COVID Health Centre (DCHC) with oxygen supported isolation beds for moderate cases, and Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH) with ICU beds for severe cases," he said.
Program initiated to provide mental support to students
On whether the government has made any assessment of adverse effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of children and has provided psychological support through healthcare professionals, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said the Ministry of Education has initiated a program called Manodarpan. It covers a wide range of activities to provide psycho-social support to students, teachers, and families for mental health and emotional wellbeing.
National toll-free helpline has been set up to provide tele-counseling
"There is a national toll-free helpline 8448440632 to provide tele-counseling for students, parents, and teachers to help cope with the situation," Dr. Harsh Vardhan said. "The Ministry of Health set up a 24/7 helpline through NIMHANS, Bangalore, on March 29, 2020, to provide psycho-social support to the affected population, divided into different target groups," he said.
Various mental health institutions will provide support in regional languages
Two central mental health institutions - namely LGB Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, and Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi - along with various states and UTs were also on-boarded to extend the services in regional and local languages.
Government's role in the management of mental health issues
"Guidelines and advisories on the management of mental health issues, catering to different segments of society, were issued that can be accessed on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website," Dr. Harsh Vardhan said. "Various media platforms were used for creative and audio-visual materials on managing stress and anxiety and promoting an environment of support and care for all," he added.
