Singapore’s second child under 12 to die of COVID-19 is aged 4

The Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore said on Tuesday that a girl who was four years old and had COVID-19 passed away in Singapore on Sunday, the 17th of July.

She is the second patient in Singapore under the age of 12 to pass away as a result of the disease. According to the Ministry of Health’s response to CNA’s questions, the Singaporean girl had no previous medical history and had been healthy in the past.

She began experiencing symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection and fever on the previous Friday, and an Antigen Rapid Test (ART) performed on Sunday at a general practitioner clinic revealed that she was positive for COVID-19.

The girl was given medication for her symptoms, but she continued to feel poorly despite the treatment. On Sunday night, she passed out unexpectedly.

According to the statement made by the Ministry, the COVID-19 pneumonia was determined to be the cause of death by the state coroner.

“Children are generally more resilient to COVID-19 infections than adults and the elderly. Notwithstanding, COVID-19 infections can result in severe disease amongst children,” MOH added to their statement.

The Ministry of Health, the Health Sciences Authority, and the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination are doing research on the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines that have been designed for infants and young children who are younger than five years old.

The primary vaccine series is currently available to children ages five and older. Once the initial vaccine series has been completed, anyone above the age of 12 can receive their first booster dose.

In Singapore, the first coronavirus-related fatality in a patient under the age of 12 occurred on the 27th of June, when a one-and-a-half-year-old boy died from COVID-19. Infections with COVID-19, the respiratory syncytial virus, and enteroviruses were to blame for his demise from encephalitis.

According to MOH’s report from last month, he had no prior medical history and was in good health.

Of the 6,227 new COVID-19 cases recorded in Singapore on Monday, 5,978 were local cases. There were four fatalities.

There were 810 patients at the hospital, including 78 who needed oxygen and 16 who were in the intensive care unit.

The weekly infection rate was 1.08 percent. A value greater than 1 suggests an increase in the weekly number of new cases of COVID-19.

Approximately 93% of Singapore’s population has finished their full vaccination program, and 78% have gotten booster injections.

According to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Singapore is “near the peak, if not at the peak,” of this Omicron wave, which started on the 5th of July. In Parliament, he indicated that at that time, nearly half of the infections were from the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.