Schools should be reopened, provided all adults in environment are immunised: NTAGI's COVID-19 group chief

New Delhi [India], August 25 : National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation's (NTAGI) working group chairman Dr NK Arora on Wednesday said that schools should now be reopened for all children, however, adults in their environment are immunized amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Be it primary schools, secondary schools or higher schools, they all should be opened. In fact, primary schools have children aged less than 10 years, and they are least infected by the virus. However, a safe environment should be created by vaccinated all adults in their environment," he said in an interview with ANI.
Creating a safe environment is essential for the reopening of schools, he added.
Dr Arora further said, "Similarly, in schools, teachers, employees, bus drivers whoever is coming in contact should be vaccinated, so that there is a protective ring around children."
According to him, the chances of severe infection and that of death is close to negligible.
"Children sometimes become the vehicle of transmitting the virus, however, if a safe, virus-free environment is created, the spread of infection can be reduced," he noted.
COVID-19 working group chief further said that Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila has been given permission to administer its three-dose COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D to children aged 12-17 years.
"ZyCoV-D, available for 12-17-year-old children also in addition to adults, will be rolled out in October. Before that, a list and strategy are to be prepared to reach sick children with co morbidities and other diseases in that group. Healthy children will be given vaccines only after adult immunisation is complete," he remarked.
Meanwhile, India on Wednesday reported 37,593 new COVID-19 cases, and 648 deaths due to the infection over 24 hours. There are 3,22,327 active cases.