6.1. Risks in Children
The direct effect of COVID-19 on children has not been as pronounced as
seen in older adults, but the health and welfare of children have still
taken a hit. Studies performed to study the impact of COVID-19 on the
health and mortality of children have shown that children can become
infected but the severity of the infection is considerably lesser than
what is seen in adults, with children showing mild symptoms like fever,
fatigue, cough, congestion, and possibly nausea or diarrhea, and only
very rarely progressing to a stage which requires aggressive treatment.
The negative impacts of COVID-19 on children have been majorly due to
the sudden and widespread economic and societal disruption following the
pandemic, leading to an increase in cases of abuse, neglect, and
maltreatment, as well as anxiety and depression .Leaving aside the consequences of the infection as such, cases of
psychological distresses due to social isolation and deranged
education have seen a reported increase since the pandemic. Children
with behavioral needs who require regular visits to therapists and other
health care professionals are one group of children who have been worst
affected by the pandemic, as in-person health care access has seen a
marked decrease during the pandemic .
With a pandemic like COVID-19 with its far-reaching impacts, the global
economy has taken a hit, and as a consequence, the vulnerable groups in
the society have sunk even further in their quality of life, which in
turn has affected the children belonging to such families, as their
difficulties of living have been further exacerbated. Children with
medical complexities are also facing a hard time with the reduction of
the in-personal health care system. The way to mitigate such risks would
be to form and implement virtual strategies to support health care
services, child welfare services, educational services, etc. Apart from
psychological distresses children should also be vaccinated with COVD-19
vaccines to prevent infections among the children population and avoid
after effects symptoms that might show up in their later years of life.