Hyderabad: Pediatricians applaud new Covid guidelines

Hyderabad: Pediatricians from Telangana applaud fresh guidelines issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) for Covid-19 management for children below 18 years. According to new guidelines, it is not mandatory for children below 5 years to wear masks while children from 6 to 11 years old may wear a mask with safety under the supervision of parents and children aged 12 years and over should compulsorily wear a mask.

The guideline says that the steroids are harmful in asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 cases, while only in hospitalized moderately severe and critically ill Covid-19 cases under strict supervision steroids should be used at the right time, in the right amount. And the guidelines also requested people to avoid self-medication of steroids.

DGHS has come out with new guidelines for the management of Covid-19 among children below 18 years of age in which Remdesivir has not been recommended and rational use of HRCT imaging (CT scan) has been suggested.

"The guidelines are issued at the right time, as the ensuing third wave would affect children more. The wave may or may not be appearing but business minds always cash the situation. The guidelines will save people from exploiting," said Dr Saleem, a pediatrician. Moreover, he said that removing Remdesivir from guidelines is a good decision as it has no efficiency to treat Covid patients and it is still under trial which may be harmful for children. He recalled that people in the second wave have been exploited in many ways as business-minded people forced people to buy it at exorbitant rates. If DGHS were not removed from the list, exploiters may repeat the same next.

Dr Saleem says that the government wants children to be safe from all kind of biohazards for their good future. Heavy doses of steroids and antibiotics may turn into adverse in future. The gist of the guidelines is children affected by Covid can be treated at home without steroids and strong medicines.