So far, 317 Covid-19 cases detected among children under 12 years old, says the Health Ministry.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said out of the 317 cases, 112 cases were children below 4 years old and 22 cases were among babies under one year old.
“To date, there have been no deaths recorded among children under 12,” he said during his daily briefing Saturday (May 16).
Dr Noor Hisham said children under the age of 12 in Selangor recorded the most Covid-19 cases(77 cases), followed by Negri Sembilan (48 cases), Johor (46 cases), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (28 cases), Sabah (26 cases) and others.
Hence, apart from the elderly, children and babies are also in the high risk groups to be infected with Covid-19.
Parents and guardians have to teach young children to always practice good hygiene by washing their hands with soap and water. Young children are encouraged to wear face masks in public areas.
He also reminded families to bathe or at least wash their hands first before touching their children when they return home.
The public is also urged to protect children and babies by ensuring that they maintain a distance of at least one metre from them.
During the press conference, Dr Noor Hisham said with Covid-19, there is the risk of children developing Kawasaki Syndrome where there is inflammation of the blood vessels.
However, he said he has not seen such severe cases in children who have Covid-19 in our country yet.
With the festive season around the corner, Dr Noor Hisham urged the public to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP) that have been provided by the Ministry to ensure that families and children remain safe from the virus.
Source : The Star