Bengal forms 10-member expert committee to tackle possible third Covid wave

West Bengal has set up a 10-member expert committee comprising doctors from state-run hospitals to tackle a possible third Covid-19 wave. The committee would supervise and monitor the evolving situation and suggest suitable interventions for effective management.

“In view of the purported third wave of Covid-19, there is an immediate need to undertake all precautionary steps to prepare the health system in handling potential situations, especially regarding paediatric Covid cases. It has been felt imperative to constitute an expert committee to supervise and monitor the evolving situation and suggest suitable interventions for effective management of Covid-19 third wave,” a health department order said.

The daily count of Covid-19 cases during the first wave hit a peak of 4,157 on October 22. During the second wave, the daily cases peaked on May 14 with 20,846 infections.

Also Read | Covaxin likely to be approved for children by Sept: Dr Randeep Guleria

The state government has started earmarking beds in hospitals to treat children aged up to 12 in case the third wave of Covid-19 hits. “Many scientists are of the opinion that children may be affected more in number during the next wave of Covid-19. The state government has planned to protect the children by escalating inpatient Covid facilities for the younger group,” said an earlier order.

An official said that as children, with mild to moderate symptoms, would have to be kept alongside their mothers, around 10,000 general beds would be earmarked.

“We are expecting the numbers to touch baseline level by June-end or early July. We do not know when exactly the third wave would come. But going by the experiences of some other countries like the UK and Canada, we expect that it may hit sometimes around October-November,” said another official.