MIRI – Children and teenagers make up at least 20% of recent Covid-19 cases at Kuching’s Sarawak General Hospital, said state Disaster Management Committee adviser Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He said data compiled by the State Health Department revealed that hospitals in the state are recording more young patients.
“From July 15 to August 3, statistics from the Sarawak General Hospital showed that out of 1,000 Covid-19 patients, at least 20% of them are below the age of 18.
“This is a trend that we need to be concerned about. Those below 18 are not vaccinated as yet (due to national policy) but in Sarawak, they are getting infected at a worrying rate.”
Dr Sim, who is state housing and local government minister, said the Delta variant and other strains that are spreading in Sarawak means the young will be subjected to more serious infections.
He added that Sarawak is looking into the possibility of vaccinating those aged between 12 and 18, as well as a third injection booster for adults.
“The Sarawak Covid-19 Vaccine Advisory Group is looking into this since there is no decision yet from the national side. The advisory group is made up of our own health and medical experts in Sarawak.
“They will advise the state government on the plan to vaccinate those aged 12 to 18 since (Putrajaya through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme) has not decided yet.”
Sim said only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can be used on teens.
He added that the delivery for Sinovac jabs were completed in July, while vials of Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca doses are ongoing. The CanSino jab delivery has yet to start. – The Vibes, August 9, 2021
