Aurangabad, Sept 22:
The experts have predicted that the third wave of Covid-19 will infect children between the age group of zero to 15. Hence to deal with the sudden shortage of ventilators for children, the administration has decided to purchase new ventilators. It has been estimated that 12 to 15 per cent of juvenile patients will need 2 per cent of the total oxygen supply.
The district administration has been instructed by the divisional administration on how to arrange manpower, oxygen, ventilators and medicines to deal with the covid wave. Each district in the division will require at least 10 ventilators and preparation are underway to purchase these ventilators. The ventilators that are available in covid hospitals cannot be used for treatment of covid positive children. Hence the software of the ventilators will be upgraded. Hospitals with 30 beds have been instructed to produce their own oxygen. Ventilators for kids are expensive. Each ventilator costs around Rs 15 lakh. Therefore, the decision to buy them is in the final stages at the government level, the sources said.