3rd wave: K’taka begins genome study of Covid-19 hit children

With a large number of studies predicting vulnerability of children in the event of the third wave of Coronavirus in future, scientists in Karnataka have started studying genome sequence of children who have been infected with Coronavirus. As part of the study, scientists are trying to understand whether Covid-19 among children spread from the existing variants of the virus or used a new variant to enter the body of children, the Indian Express reported. The responsibility of conducting the analysis of genome sequencing has been entrusted with Prof V Ravi, a former professor of virology by the technical advisory committee of the state.

Prof Ravi was quoted as saying that the samples are being collected for the analysis and after they have been processed the information and data should be available in a fortnight. Though the Covid-19 situation across the country has substantially stabilised from the peak of the second wave, the move of the state government to study the genome sequences is being seen as an effort to prepare for the probable third wave of Coronavirus. Samples of infected children who have been severely infected with the virus along with those among international travellers, living in local infection clusters will be collected and studied as part of the analysis.

Prof Ravi was quoted as saying that the virus is constantly mutating and also follows the principle of ‘survival of the fittest.’ As many as 10 percent of the total number of Coronavirus infections in Karnataka in the first and second wave of Coronavirus were traced among children in the age group of 0-19. The fatality rate among the same group of children has remained about 0.1 percent. However, during the second wave the mortality among children increased by about 4 percent and 6 percent in the 0-9 age group and 10-19 group respectively.