One-and-a-half-year-old boy dies after contracting Covid-19; S'pore's first coronavirus death under 12
A 1½-year-old boy who came down with Covid-19 has died, said the Ministry of Health.
In a statement on Monday night (June 27), MOH said the child died from encephalitis - or inflammation of the brain - due to Covid-19, and two other viruses.
The two viruses are respiratory syncytial virus and enterovirus.
This is Singapore's first death caused by Covid-19 in a patient below 12, MOH said.
It added that the boy had no other past medical history and was previously well.
He was brought to KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) Children's Emergency Department on the night of June 21 with a high fever and recurrent seizures, and subsequently began to lose consciousness.
He was then admitted to the Children's Intensive Care Unit in critical condition on June 22, and was diagnosed with severe Meningoencephalitis.
This refers to the inflammation of the brain and the meninges, which are membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
His polymerase chain reaction or PCR test came back positive for Covid-19 as well as the other two viruses.
In its statement, MOH said Covid-19 can result in severe disease, even in children and those without pre-existing medical conditions.
"Vaccination substantially reduces the likelihood of severe disease when one is infected," it said, adding that it recommends all children aged 5 to 11 years to get the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, especially those with underlying chronic medical conditions.
MOH said together with the Health Sciences Authority and the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination, it will study the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines that have been formulated for young children under the age of 5, once manufacturers submit the relevant documents.
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