‘Stem tide of cases among teens’

 

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PETALING JAYA: With Covid-19 cases and deaths surging among the young, health experts are urging parents not to delay inoculating their children when the rollout begins this month for those aged 12 to 17.

Universiti Malaya public health medicine specialist Prof Dr Victor Hoe said as new research had shown that Covid-19 vaccines were safe for children, the aim should be to vaccinate as many people in the population as possible.

“When the vaccines were still new, their safety for the younger population had not been assessed.

“However, new studies have (shown) that the vaccines are safe for them, so we should start vaccinating them,” he said.

Infection rates among children remain an issue of concern, especially with schools set to reopen on Oct 3.

The Health Ministry revealed that infection rates among children is at 310,074 cases as of Aug 30, compared to 12,620 cases last year.

A total of 47 adolescents aged under 18 have died from Covid-19, of which 41 occurred this year.

Dr Victor added that vaccinating adolescents was vital, as some can get severe forms of Covid-19 and need to be admitted to hospital.

“Vaccinating young ones will ensure protection for them and others, and this will allow them to go back to school with less risk of getting severely ill.

“If parents are still in doubt, they should discuss with their family doctors, general practitioners or paediatricians,” he said.

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin had said vaccinations are targeted to begin for 12 to 17 year olds this month once sufficient vaccination coverage for adults is achieved.

He added that the adolescent vaccinations will be prioritised for those with comorbidities and will start with 16 to 17 year olds before moving to the younger age groups.

The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency had earlier approved the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 12 years and above.

A circular signed by Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah also stated that the vaccination initiative for the age group would be conducted at hospitals and medical centres, as well as outreach programmes in schools.

The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia yesterday expressed their openness to help vaccinate adolescents at private hospitals.

International Islamic University Malaysia public health medicine specialist Asst Prof Dr Mohammad Farhan Rusli said as immunisation rates among adults are ramped up, it is timely to expand the vaccine recipients to include adolescents.

“This group needs to be vaccinated due to their social interaction, learning and physical activities requiring them to be protected,” he said.

He gave the example of Ireland, which is set to lift all restrictions after encouraging vaccination rates among adults and children alike.

He added that while there were reported instances of heart inflammation, there was even greater risk of not vaccinating children.

“It is similar to when there were concerns with blood clots (with AstraZeneca). But we must always weigh the risks against the benefits.

“As there are more reports – especially from the US – which show a shift of Covid-19 cases being concentrated among the young, we must step up our vaccination drive to get as many immunised,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force put vaccinations for those aged 17 and below on hold due to increased reports of myocarditis and pericarditis.

However, other countries have gone ahead to approve vaccines for adolescents as the number of such reports have remained small.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 in May, having allowed vaccinations for those aged 16 and older last year.

It reviewed a study with over 2,260 participants aged 12 to 15, in which half received the vaccine while another half received a placebo.

A week later, it was found that there were no Covid-19 cases among the children who got the vaccine while 16 cases were found among those given the placebo. - Star

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