Over 5000 kids below 14 years of age in Meghalaya have tested positive for COVID-19 out of which 17 of them succumbed to the disease.
Health officials said that since the beginning of the pandemic last year, 5,101 children up to the age of 14 tested positive in Meghalaya.
However, 4,344 of them have recovered and 17 succumbed to the infection.
The remaining are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.
According to reports, majority of the children were infected during the past one month.
"As many as 2,950 children have tested positive for Covid-19 since May 15, out of whom 2,821 have recovered, while 13 children died during the same period," an official said.
The latest child death was reported in East Garo Hills district where a four-year-old girl succumbed to the dreaded disease earlier this month, the report said.
Health minister Alexander Laloo Hek said that not a single newborn baby was affected by infectious disease so far in the state.
He said that in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases among the children, the government has decided to set up paediatric hospitals in Shillong, Tura in West Garo Hills, and Jowai in West Jaintia Hills.
Meghalaya has so far reported 43,253 Covid positive cases and 38,032 have recovered and 758 have died. As on Thursday, the active cases stood at 4,464.