Schools cannot remain shut till all kids vaccinated, says AIIMS Director

AIIMS New Delhi Director Randeep Guleria has said that it can take up to nine months to vaccinate all kids and schools cannot be kept shut for that long.

In the national capital, schools reopened this Wednesday for offline classes for senior classes. Other states of the country have also re-opened their schools in a phased manner with strict COVID protocols. At a time when the country is fearing the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, school re-opening has triggered a debate among experts, parents, teachers and students over the safety of children, especially when vaccines are not yet available for kids.

Today, India reported 45,352 new Covid-19 cases with 366 deaths in the last 24 hours. Total active cases in India is  399778 with Maharashtra having 54138 active cases and Kerala reported 240736 active cases on Friday.

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All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) New Delhi Director, Randeep Guleria has said that it will take nearly nine months to vaccinate all kids of the country and schools cannot be kept closed till such a long time, which is approximately mid of the next year.

However, Guleria maintained that the schools should only be open in areas with less positivity rate as in Delhi. He also told India Today that physical interaction is important for school kids and hence he is in support of school reopening.

He advised all school staff members must be vaccinated properly and the crowd must be avoided while entering or exiting school or even during the lunch breaks and in case any cluster cases are reported, the schools must be shut down immediately.

AIIMS Director said that Bharat Biotech will apply for the regulatory approval for using Covaxin in children by the end of September and the approval is expected this month itself.

On Covid 19 scenario in Kerala, he said, the situation is concerning and the increasing cases there could be the start of a spike across the country. He also added that schools in Kerala must remain closed for now.

Read more:

• School Reopening: Teachers, students with medical conditions must be vaccinated, says WHO
• School Reopening Updates: When will Schools Reopen in India 2021? Check state-wise list here