Malaysia

Fears abound as number of S’wak children down with Covid-19 rises

State health data shows 20% of infected people are aged 12 and below

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 08 May 2021 2:36PM

Fears abound as number of S’wak children down with Covid-19 rises
State Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian says Covid-19 is aggressively attacking both urban and rural communities, with more and more children getting infected, especially in longhouses. – EPA pic, May 8, 2021

by Stephen Then

MIRI – The latest data from health teams tackling the raging Covid-19 pandemic on the ground in Sarawak shows that about 20% of infected people are children 12 years old and younger.

State Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian today sounded the alarm bells over this latest worrying development.

In social media chats, Dr Sim said Covid-19 is aggressively attacking both urban and rural communities, with more and more children getting infected, especially in longhouses.

“The latest information received from health teams show that Covid-19 is moving back and forth from rural communities to urban communities and vice versa.

“A few longhouses are seeing Covid-19 outbreaks more than once inside their settlement. About 20% of these infections involve children aged 12 and below. Covid-19 is spreading all over due to the movement pattern of the people,” said Dr Sim, who is also state Disaster Management Committee adviser.

Dr Sim said the current wave is already seeing an increasing number of infections, many of whom are in the 20-40 age range.

Now, with the added number of infections among children, the pandemic is threatening every age group, he said.

Sarawak registered 201 Covid-19 fatalities as of yesterday evening. The cumulative number of cases stands at 34,227.

The increase in new cases daily have escalated by triple-digits every day for the past month or so.

Sarawak is now among the top three states in the country with the highest rate of increase in new infections and fatalities. – The Vibes, May 8, 2021

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