The rising number of Covid infections among children has again raised the alarm bells for the third wave as approximately 242 children tested positive for Covid-19 in five days in Bengaluru as Karnataka reported 1,338 new cases and 31 deaths on Tuesday, according to the government data

The Bengaluru civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said 242 children below the age of 19 tested positive in the last five days. Experts have warned that the third wave of Covid-19 has already started.

According to the data, 106 children below the age of nine years and 136 children between nine and 19 years have tested positive in the last five days in the city. The health department has warned that the positive cases of children may rise in the coming days.

An officer from the health department said the number of Covid 19 infections will “triple” within a few days and “there is a great danger”. “All we can do is protect our children from this virus by keeping them inside the home. Children will not have much immunity compared to elder ones. It is highly recommended to parents that they keep children inside home and follow all the Covid-19 norms,” the official said.

The Karnataka government has already ordered night and weekend curfews in all the districts, and entries to Kerala-Karnataka, Maharashtra-Karnataka borders have been restricted. Only those who can show their RTPCR test of less than 72 hours are allowed to enter the state.

Karnataka has been recording around 1,500 daily new cases of Covid 19 in the last one month, and the newly inducted chief minister Basavaraja Bommai has promised to increase the vaccine doses from around 65 lakh to 1 crore per month.

According to sources, the government is likely to impose a partial lockdown from August 16.

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