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.