Third covid wave: Mumbai gears up for third wave, to build 4 covid centres for kids

Mumbai has so far been successful in tackling the second wave of the pandemic. The financial hub is now gearing up of a potential third wave that experts fear could affect children.

Mumbai is building four huge covid centres across the city. The civuc administration is working closely with a special task force that includes some of India's top paediatricians. 

"If a 2-year-old child becomes highly symptomatic, how can you deposit the child in hospital without the mother?" Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal told Reuters. "We have already started preparing for that. ... One should be faster than the virus." 

The covid centres will have intensive-care units (ICUs). The centre is expected to be ready by next month, said Chahal. The city is already procuring ventilators, monitors and other medical equipment, Chahal said. Apart from these units, the government is also in talks with hospitals to increase the number of paediatric beds and ICUs.  The paediatric task force, led by Dr Suhas Prabhu, plans to train about 660 paediatricians on how to handle children affected by COVID-19.

As many as 2,57,299 fresh COVID-19 infections and 4,194 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Saturday. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the country recorded 3,57,630 fresh recoveries in the 24-hour period, outnumbering new cases. With maximum case load many states in India have been grappling with a lack of hospital beds and inadequate oxygen and medical supplies.