Amid the viral fever outbreak in north Bengal, a rising number of Covid cases in children is being reported in the Kurseong Sub-Divisional Hospital in the  Hills.

In September alone, 13 children have tested positive for the coronavirus in the Kurseong hospital, officials have confirmed. Doctors here, however, said that the children did not have major complications.

Talking to reporters in Kurseong today, the Assistant Superintendent of the Sub Divisional Hospital, Dr Krishna Ghosh, said that nine of the 13 children had been referred to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri, while the remaining four were sent in home isolation under the request of the parents, as the children did not have any major complication.

He also said that they do not have any separate CCU for children in the Kurseong Hospital. “This was the only reason why we sent the children to the NBMCH,” Dr Ghosh said. “But there is good news that the construction work of an eight-bed Paediatric CCU is going on and it is likely to be completed soon,” he added.

When asked, Mr Ghosh also said that there had been a decrease in the cases of regular Covid patients as compared to the previous months. He further said that in September, 16 female and 19 male patients had tested positive for Covid-19.

According to paediatrician Sudhanshu Shah Ray, in the three weeks of September, around 30 children used to visit the pediatric OPD every day with symptoms of fever, cough and cold or respiratory problems. He said that it was all cases of common viral fever.

“Most of the children are recovering even without antibiotics,” he said. “However, it is a concern that some of these children have tested positive for Covid 19. No such Covid case was seen among children in Kurseong hospital last year,” Dr Shah Ray said.

According to him, two Covid cases were found in Rapid Antigen Test conducted in children at the Kurseong Hospital. “Presently, children are not going to school and are in their homes. Hence, there is no chance of these children getting infected outside. These children are likely to be infected from their parents or other adults in the family with whom they have come in contact,” he added.

“Just because people are vaccinated, we should not forget our responsibilities or the Covid guidelines. We all must continue to follow all Covid guidelines until the virus is completely destroyed,” he said