VACCINATION FOR KIDS UNDER FIVE
Meanwhile, MOH is preparing to start vaccination for children aged under 5 towards the fourth quarter of 2022, mentioned Dr Puthucheary.
The ministry said last week it was targetting vaccination for young children 6 months and above towards the finish of the year.
These children under five years old are currently the last group not yet protected simply by vaccination.
“The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is currently reviewing data posted by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna on their COVID-19 vaccines for this age group. We will provide an revise when an assessment from the quality, effectiveness and safety of the vaccines has been completed, ” said Dr Puthucheary.
Currently, children under the regarding five remain “more vulnerable to COVID-19 irritation and have higher prices of severe outcomes compared to older children” – but this really is similar to other respiratory diseases, he added.
“However, the overall incidence of serious outcomes from COVID-19 infection remains decrease amongst children in comparison to adults and the elderly. ”
2 young children in Singapore have recently died from COVID-19 . The four-year-old girl died in July, whilst an one-and-a-half-year-old youngster died in June.
Having said that, Dr Puthucheary noted that based on nearby and international data, “the BA. 4 and BA. five Omicron subvariants never have been observed to affect children more severely than previous variants, and severe COVID-19 infection has been rare in children, especially amongst those who are vaccinated”.
Should children require medical attention, they should seek help from a general practitioner or polyclinic, said Dr Puthucheary.
Children with acute respiratory disease (ARI) symptoms is going to be tested using the Antigen Rapid Test (ART) by default or the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.
Kids under three months are usually admitted to hospital by default whereas older kids under the Home Recuperation Programme (HRP) are reviewed by physicians via telemedicine. This service is available twenty-four hours a day, added Dr Puthucheary.
“Hospitals continue to prioritise care for children with urgent medical conditions, and those who seem to require further observation and treatment is going to be admitted. MOH regularly reviews and improvements the screening plus review criteria along with inputs from a screen of specialists. ”
ORAL ANTIVIRALS
Under the Health Science Authority’s Outbreak Special Access Route, oral antivirals are licensed for use pertaining to patients aged eighteen and above just, noted Dr Puthucheary.
Designed for children aged between 12 to 18, local and overseas treatment guidelines indicate that will Paxlovid may be regarded as on a case-by-case schedule, he said.
The Health Ministry will continue to evaluation the evidence for the use of mouth antivirals for kids under 18 years of age.