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Increase in critical Covid cases, deaths involving children under 5, says Noor Hisham

Three deaths involving children under five were reported last year while the same number was recorded in the first five months of 2021 alone.

Bernama
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The number of children warded in the ICU for Covid-19 has been on the rise last year, with more deaths recorded from among this group as well. Photo: Bernama
The number of children warded in the ICU for Covid-19 has been on the rise last year, with more deaths recorded from among this group as well. Photo: Bernama

There has been an increase in the number of critical Covid-19 cases and deaths among children below the age of five this year compared to last year, says health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said three such fatalities were reported last year while for this year, the same number of deaths was recorded in the first five months alone.

“Apart from that, the number of cases of children requiring treatment in the ICU also showed a significant increase. In 2020, a total of eight children were treated in the ICU, of which six were under the age of five.

“As for 2021 (until May), a total of 27 cases required treatment in the ICU and 19 of them were below the age of five,” he said in a statement today.

Noor Hisham advised all parties, especially parents and guardians, to play crucial roles in protecting groups with lower immunity, such as babies and children, from Covid-19.

He also urged the public to build a safe environment for this group by fully complying with the SOPs and getting vaccinated immediately, if eligible.