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The 16-year-old Singapore teen who suffered from a cardiac arrest six days after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/ Cominarty Covid-19 vaccine has been moved out to a general ward, according to The Straits Times (ST).

On Tuesday, Aug. 3, Dinesh Vasu Dash, Ministry of Health's (MOH) Group Director, shared that the boy was "responding very positively to treatment" at the Singapore Healthcare Management Congress.

He was speaking to about 1,800 healthcare leaders locally and overseas when he provided the update.

A few of the attendees of the webinar had asked him when children below 12 can be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Credited teen's brother

Dinesh gave credit to the teen's brother for providing timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the victim after he had collapsed, reported ST.

Dinesh also thanked the medical professionals who subsequently looked after the teen.

He said that they did an "excellent job", and that the boy was now on "the road to recovery".

He added: "I think it's fortuitous that he is very young and therefore his ability to recover is much better in this particular case."

Covid-19 vaccination programme updates

According to the MOH website, vaccination trials are still ongoing for children below the age of 12.

While adolescents aged 12 and above are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, and Moderna for those aged 18 and above, both Covid-19 vaccines are not yet approved for children below 12.

Dinesh shared that Singapore will take a "cautious approach" and study the data for ongoing trials before allowing children below 12 to get vaccinated.

This means it is unlikely that the vaccination programme will be expanded to those below 12 now, but it may happen next year.

Reports of myocarditis after vaccination

In addition, Dinesh shared that there have been 12 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis in people after receiving the mRNA vaccines, as of June 30.

Amongst the 12 cases, seven were males aged 30 and below.

According to ST, Dinesh explained there is a "light signal" of heart inflammation among those who are above 16 and in their 20s, but the numbers are "very, very small".

The healthcare system has detected them quickly so they can recover.

Background

The 16-year-old teen collapsed on the morning of July 3, six days after he received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty vaccine on June 27.

He was first treated at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, before being transferred to NUH's ICU in critical condition on the same evening.

MOH director of medical services and associate professor Kenneth Mak later revealed on July 7 that the boy had been taking supplements, and was lifting weights almost twice his body weight at the gym when he collapsed.

On July 15, MOH shared that the boy was transferred out of the ICU to a high dependency ward for "close monitoring and observation".

MOH added it is still investigating the underlying cause leading to his cardiac arrest.

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