By Mahima Devkota, Kathmandu, May 31:  17 out of the total 489 Child Care Home (CCH) across the country have recorded infection of SARS-Cov-2 in the children living in the CCH.

As many as 184 children out of total 11,350 children of the CCHs across the nation have been found positive for COVID-19. No fatalities have been recorded thus far.

According to Sunita Shah, child protection officer, there are 300 CCHs in the Kathmandu Valley (KV) that comprises of three districts. Of them, 11 CCHs saw infection in the children living in them. A total of 6,815 children lives in 300 CCHs of the Kathmandu Valley. Of them, 107 children of 11 CCHs in the KV have been infected with SARS-CoV2.

Officer Shah said, “Kathmandu district which has 173 CCHs where 4,183 children live saw the highest number of infected children. Some 98 children of 8 CCHs in the district have been found infected with SARS- CoV-2 so far.”

Similarly, in the Lalitpur District, there are 110 CCHs, of which 3 CCHs recorded the virus. Nine children from 3 CCHs have been infected with virus so far.

No virus infection was detected in 369 children from all 17 CCHs in Bhaktapur district, she added.

When asked about the state of children after COVID-19 infection, Ram Bahadur Chand, communication officer at the National Child Rights Council (NCRC), said that the infected children are kept in isolation and are cared for by the caregivers.

However, CCHs are holding a large number of children coordinates to hospitals as well, said Chand, adding that all 59 infected children of Bal Mandir, which holds the largest number of children in CCHs of Kathmandu Valley, are being kept in hospitals. Children will be brought only after they test negative for virus, he added.

Those caregivers providing care for the infected children follow the strict health safety protocol directed by the government, Chand told The Rising Nepal.

Chand, said “If COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, dry cough, body pain, headache is observed, then PCR testing is performed. All the other children of the CCH will also have their PCR testing in case of COVID-19 detected in any children.”

Chand said that children receives counselling and information about COVID-19 infection. This is done so to educate them about nature of virus and precautionary measures as the risk of spread of virus in CCHs is high, he added.

In addition, Sagar Bhandari, Chief of the hotline at NCRC, said that there is no separate holding center for the COVID-19 infected children.  Children with COVID-19 infection stay in isolation till they test negative.

“We are managing well on the second wave. However, we are not well prepared for the third wave, tickling adversity for children,” said Bhandari.