MIRI – Teenagers below 18 make up nearly 30% Sarawak’s Covid-19 patients, according to the latest statistics.
The data currently compiled by the state Health Department also revealed the younger generation are being infected at a rapid rate.
Its director Dr Mohamed Sapian Mohamed today said there has been a steady rise in the number of teenagers infected with Covid-19 in Sarawak.
“Those aged below 18 are yet to be vaccinated and are vulnerable to serious infection due to Covid-19,” he said in a press statement.
State authorities are already converting school hostels in Kuching into treatment facilities due to the increase in virus cases in the capital.
State Disaster Management Committee adviser Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian had said that the vaccination programme for teens will be announced very soon.
Sarawak will begin inoculating teens aged 15 to 17 this week, with those aged 12 to 14 to follow.
Dr Sim said the state needs to vaccinate as many people as possible.
“Now that most of our adults are vaccinated, we need to give attention to the teenagers.
“The swift surge of infections in Kuching is reflective of the Delta variant’s pattern,” he added. – The Vibes, August 24, 2021