UP to distribute 50 lakh medkits for kids upto 18 years ahead of the probable third wave

The state of Uttar Pradesh has undertaken the task to distribute about 50 lakh medicine kits for children and adolescents ahead of the expected third wave incidence among these categories. As per reports, the CM launched the drive on Monday by flagging off the first instalment of 17 lakh kits. The remaining consignment of 33 lakh sets will be also be sent soon.

Monitoring committees to aid medkit distribution

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The Director-General of Medicine and Health informed that children might also exhibit symptoms of viral fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and other such rainy-season ailments. In this scenario, the monitoring committees will help to facilitate the distribution of the medicine kits among symptomatic kids and adolescents. Each medicine kit will pack paracetamol, Zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin D tablets along with ORS solution, he informed.

The state has divided the beneficiaries of this aid into four distinct age-based categories. Separate kits have been aggregated for these segments, based on the compatibility of doses with the age of the receiver. The first age group is for newborns to infants up to 1 year of age, the successive category will include children from 2 to 4 years. Kids aged between 5 and 12 years will form the third group while adolescents from 13 to 18 have been categorised in the fourth group.

So far, the state has provided 68 lakh COVID medicine kits to the youth and elderly in four phases. Plans are underway to boost this tally for people above 18 years of age across Lucknow, Kanpur and all other districts in UP. These anti-COVID drugs will be then distributed among children in the avenue of third phase rise. So far, there are no guidelines to distribute medicines age below 12 years.