Tuesday, 23 November 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
Symptoms of common cold and Covid are similar, children yet to be vaccinated
With the onset of winters the parents of the school going children are getting increasingly worried about the safety of their wards. Their concern is understandable since the schools have reopened after a long pandemic enforced gap and in winters the chances of catching fever and common cold are very high. Their fears are compounded with the fact that the virus of Covid-19 though down is not completely out yet and the children below 18 years old are yet to be vaccinated against the dreaded virus.
In such a scenario many parents have a fear of sending their kids to school. Manisha Sharma, mother of a class VIII student and a resident of Raipur road said that the schools are not prepared to take the responsibility of the children. “In fact they have got it written from us that they would not be held responsible if the child gets infected, ” she said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the symptoms of common cold and Covid-19 are similar. In such a situation the concern of parents are at peak.
Senior paediatrician and deputy Medical Superintendent of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital, Dr N S Khatri said, “Yes it is very difficult to distinguish between common cold and fever and covid-19 since the symptoms are the same. The only way to know is through a test.” Regarding the precautions, he suggested that the parents should train the kids for maintaining social distancing, wearing a mask and getting their hands sanitised at regular intervals. He also added that after returning home, kids should take a bath and the uniform they were wearing should be washed separately. For basic common cold and fever, children should be wearing layers of clothes according to the weather.
“Looking at the current scenario in Dehradun, parents are not worrying unnecessarily. People are not following covid-19 guidelines. Most people are seen without a mask and not following social distancing norms. Though the government has removed certain restrictions, this does not give the liberty to not follow the basic norms. People should not forget that corona has not disappeared. New cases are still being registered. There is a risk of getting Covid even to a vaccinated person. We should all take extra care to protect our children,’’ said a retired Principal.
