Sin Chew Daily

Malaysia boasts exceptionally high adult and youngster vaccination rates, but the vaccination rate for children is still unsatisfactory. This will open up a crack in our defense against the coronavirus.

According to the health ministry’s CovidNow website, the country recorded 32,070 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest since the start of the pandemic. The number of cases involving children as reported by private clinics in the country over the past two weeks is also on a steady uptrend.

Unfortunately, many parents are still hesitant whether to vaccinate their children, a phenomenon which is very worrying.

Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh has said the association’s internal survey shows that the number of child COVID-19 cases at private hospital wards has been rising over the past one to two weeks, and has given rise to several severe complications., posing tremendous challenge to hospital authorities.

It is quite common for children to develop serious complications once infected with the virus, especially multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a serious condition that will affect multiple organs, including heart, lungs and brain, and could be fatal.

Pediatric experts have warned parents not to take this matter lightly.

According to doctors, children aged between 5 and 11 are the most susceptible to severe complications. Of the 174 MIS-C cases registered, 57% involve children in this age bracket.

Health DG Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said on Monday that seven children below the age of 18 had died from MIS-C because of coronavirus infection. Between June 2020 and December 2021, a total of 174 children suffered from MIS-C due to the virus infection.

The current Omicron wave is posing tremendous risks to children who have now become a high-risk group. In view of this, parents must take very good care of their children’s health and safety.

Some people have begun to let their guard down, thinking that they won’t be infected after being fully vaccinated and boosted, not realizing that unvaccinated children are particularly vulnerable due to their weak resistance.

Although most infected children do not present any symptom, they may spread the virus to other people easily, especially those with morbidities and are in high-risk groups.

The latest US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study shows that two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is very effective in preventing MIS-C in infected children.

Nevertheless, many parents are still concerned about the safety of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to very young children. Some are even considering not to immunize their children as they pin their hopes on the imminent herd immunity.

Doctors advise that such a mentality is unpractical especially in the current Omicron wave.

If parents remain undecided, worrying about the current and long-term side effects of vaccines on their children, this will significantly increase the children’s risk of infection.

From the data that we have at this moment, side effects in relation to vaccination for this age group are extremely rare, and parents should actively make arrangements for their children to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Pediatricians have warned that if young children are not effectively immunized, they could become persistent hosts of virus infection and new sources of mutation. As such, it is utterly essential to continue to implement broad vaccination across all age groups in a bid to check the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, increased prevalence of COVID-19 among school children will also affect their education. Owing to deteriorating pandemic after the Chinese New Year holidays, attendance rates at schools have dropped remarkably, as many parents prefer to keep their children at home for home learning. This may have a negative impact on the children’s learning and social abilities in the long run, and the education ministry must look into it seriously.

No one can foretell when this Omicron wave will subside, and a new academic year will soon begin after next week’s school holidays, when Year 1 new students will start attending class.

The education ministry must draw up effective solutions and strategies so that parents can be assured of the safety of their children when they start school.

Of course, the parents’ responsibility is to make sure they and their children are vaccinated as soon as possible, as we build a powerful defense net against the virus together.