November 26, 2023, 11:37 AM
A 13-month-old boy who died on Oct. 12, 2023, is Singapore's first Covid-19-related death below the age of 12 for the year.
According to CNA, he tested positive for Covid-19 on Oct. 10, 2023, and was admitted to the hospital on the same day.
The boy was "unvaccinated for Covid-19" and had a "significant medical history" of a congenital condition prior to his infection, the Ministry of Health (MOH) was quoted as saying.
MOH added that the cause of his death was an acute Covid-19 infection, with his congenital condition being a "contributing cause".
Source: Image via MOH
MOH: "Severe outcomes" can still occur in young people if they are unvaccinated and have underlying conditions
MOH highlighted that while the risk of Covid-19 is lower in children than adults, "severe outcomes" can still occur especially if the child is unvaccinated and has underlying conditions.
All individuals aged six months and above are therefore encouraged to receive an additional dose of either the updated Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or the Moderna/Spikevax Covid-19 vaccines around one year, and no earlier than five months, after their last shot.
Previously in 2022, the deaths of three children below the age of 12 from Covid-19 were reported.
There were no reported deaths among children from Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021.
Top image by Mothership
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