VISAKHAPATNAM: Andhra Pradesh has moved past the peak of the third wave of Covid-19 a fortnight ago. The state has well withstood the now-dominant Omicron variant as the surge has plateaued within a matter of six weeks.
But the quantum of Covid-19 cases surfaced in teenagers and youth in the ongoing wave were slightly higher than the previous two waves.
As per the data available with ToI, more than 13.2% of the total cases emerged in the third wave were in children aged between 11-20. This was about 8% of the total infections by the time the state reached its peak in August 2020 during the first wave.
Children in the 11-20 age group contributed to nearly 8.3% of the total cases before the state crossed its peak by the first week of June 2021 in the devastating second wave.
Youth in the 21-30 age group accounted for 20.3% of the total cases at the peak of the second wave and 23.3% in the peak of the first wave. The same age group turned out to be the worst-hit decadal age group by reporting 26.6% of the infections emerged in Andhra Pradesh in December 2021 and January 2022.
Even though it is believed that the elderly people are more susceptible to the disease, only about 8.2% of total patients have crossed 60 years in the third wave. This is much lower than the 14.2% in the second wave and 10.7% in the first wave. This might be partly due to the stress on vaccination for the 60-plus age group, including the precautionary doses.
Dr K Satish Reddy, a general physician, said that the slight increase in Covid-19 cases in children might be due to their non-vaccination status. “Several studies in the past anticipated that the third wave might disproportionately affect the young kids. The mass immunization drive has so far been extended to the 15-18 age group, that too in January 2022. On the other side, the drop in the cases among the adults might be partly due to their vaccine-related and acquired immunity from the earlier waves,” said Dr Reddy.
In all, the working-age population of 21-60 years is the most affected group in the third wave, accounting for nearly 75% of the total novel coronavirus infections. People aged between 21 and 50, considered to be the most productive age group, reported nearly 63% of the total cases.
