Celeb parents worried about kids contracting Covid

The news about actor Nakuul Mehta and singer Jankee Parekh’s 11-month-old son contracting Covid-19 has spiked the worry of parents. They are calling for more steps and awareness to protect babies amid the surge in cases.

“I know that everyone’s a bit exasperated with how the pandemic has overstayed it’s welcome, due to which slowly we are lowering our guard little by little. But after what we went through with our 11 month old son Sufi in the Covid ICU, I feel nothing is worth risking the lives and well being of our babies,” Jankee tells us.

Actor Kishwer Merchant, who welcomed a son in August last year, shares, “I am super worried. We have isolated ourselves at our place, and nobody is coming home. Also, I am in constant contact with his paediatrician, who has asked me to calm down at the moment, and she will guide me going forward”.

The scare has also compelled actor Geeta Basra to call off her son’s first Lohri celebrations.

“As the cases rise, it is getting more concerning since we don’t know its effects on kids. We were planning a big Lohri celebration for my five-month old son. All my family and friends from Mumbai, Delhi, UK were coming to be a part of this function. Everything was organised, but we have decided to cancel it because of this variant to protect my children,” says Basra, who also has a five-year-old daughter.

Actor Pranitaa Pandit is ensuring everyone stays indoors for the sake of her 16-month-old daughter Anysha. “The current wave has been the worst for kids. Sometime back, my daughter got a fever, and had to get her test done. Thankfully, it was negative. But that is the scare. Babies haven’t had their normal round of vaccines, let alone Covid vaccine, they are very vulnerable. And we really can’t say what effect this variant will have on children,” she says.

While the government has kicked off vaccination drives for children between 15-18 age group, kids below 15 are at a higher risk, as they have developing immunity and aren’t vaccinated. And that’s why Parekh feels the first step is not to let complacency seep in.

“We absolutely need to protect them by first protecting ourselves and following all safety precautions while venturing out for the sake of our children. Omicron may not have serious implications on adults, but in Nakuul and my experience, we know how terrifying it could get for any parent when their baby has to bear the consequences of it,” she adds.

Meanwhile, actor Chahatt Khanna emphasises on healthy food for immunity. She says, “After two years down the line, my kids have understood what is lockdown and what is Covid. I am relying on vegetables, fruits and ayurveda to keep my family safe, and have been giving kids extra dose of Vitamin C and vegetables to keep their immune system healthy”.

To this, actor Aditi Malik shares, “In the midst of all of this, we have to take care of ourselves and we have to think that we are coming back to our babies so we all have to be very careful. Eventually if we don’t go out in public places without wearing a mask, this will not spread. It is in our hands. Power lies within us”.