A TOTAL of 39 Covid-19 deaths involving children aged between five and 11 have been recorded since the Covid-19 pandemic two years ago, says Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali.

       “Between Jan 25, 2020, and March 6, 2022, a total of 748,037 cases involving those below 18 were recorded.

       “Of this total, 301,268 cases involved those aged between five and 11 (40.3%).

       “Fatalities due to Covid-19 among those aged 18 and below totalled 157 cases, of which 39 involved those between five and 11,” the Deputy Health Minister said in Dewan Rakyat.

       He added that the ministry also noted an increase in Covid-19 infections among the young, particularly following the reopening of schools earlier this year.

       “The presence of the Omicron variant has made the spread of the virus much easier. As of March 5, there was a drastic increase in infections among those below 12 as a total of 123,053 positive cases were confirmed since January this year,” he added.

       Dr Noor Azmi, who is in charge of the Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids), said that as of Feb 3 this year, a total of 1,041,733 children aged between five and 11 received their first vaccination dose.

       On incidences of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI), he said only 94 cases were reported as of Feb 25, involving those between the ages of five and 11, or 0.1% out of every 1,000 doses administered.

       “Of this 94 reports, only two were categorised as serious,” he said.