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The father of an 18-month-old toddler who died from Covid-19 on June 27 said his son had fought to live.

The father, Farath Shba, wrote on LinkedIn: "Today, my strong, brave son passed on to the next world after fighting for his life,"

Farath added in the post that it had been a difficult few days.

In response to The Straits Times, Farath, a regional technical account manager with tech firm CloudBlue, declined to speak as his son's funeral was ongoing.

His son's passing from Covid-19 marks the first death in Singapore of a coronavirus patient below the age of 12.

The Ministry of Health (MOH), which announced the passing on Monday, said the child died of encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.

The condition was due to Covid-19 and two other viruses, respiratory syncytial virus and enterovirus.

An earlier LinkedIn post at least five days before the passing of the toddler, Zaheer Raees Ali, saw the father publicly seeking help to treat his son.

He wrote: "At this juncture, I’m very torn to see him in this stage and I’ll need every help possible to get him treated and get him back to his feet."

"My ask: can anyone get me to a neurosurgeon or a medical professional who could save my dear boy please," he added.

Doctors had said the boy's brain was swollen and not much could be done to alleviate the swelling.

Background

MOH said on June 27 that the boy was admitted to the KKH Children's Emergency Department on June 21 night.

The boy had a high fever and recurrent seizures.

He subsequently began to lose consciousness.

He was then admitted to the Children's Intensive Care Unit in critical condition on June 22.

He was diagnosed with severe meningoencephalitis.

MOH said in tandem with the announcement of the toddler's passing that it would study the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines for children under the age of five once the manufacturers submit the relevant documents.

The ministry said KKH was in contact with boy's family to provide the necessary support.

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