KUCHING, Feb 10: Children aged 5 to 11-years-old are the remaining “gap” in age groups that need to be vaccinated against Covid-19, said Deputy Chief Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
Dr Sim said the Omicron variant surge has already hit the State, and even though the variant produces milder symptoms compared to the other Covid-19 variants, it is still a risk for the elderly, because it can cause severe infections.
“You can see that the R-Naught infectivity rate is continuing to rise higher and higher, and remember that a week ago, we were down to single digit cases, and now we are in the triple digits.
“That is why the vaccination for children is very important because even though the infection is mild for the children, they can still spread the infection to the elderly who are at risk around them,” said Dr Sim.
He told reporters this during a press conference held after a working visit with Deputy Health Minister I Dato Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali to Batu Kawah Health Clinic for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids), here today.
According to Dr Sim, who is also Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister, Minister of Health Khairy Jamaluddin had also said that the adverse events following immunisation were mild.
“So please don’t listen to all the fake news. Please believe that no doctor wants to give you more trouble and later on have to treat you.
“Iif you don’t receive a vaccination and get sick, it will cause trouble in the hospital,” he reiterated.
The Batu Kawah assemblyman also conveyed his appreciation to the Ministry of Health (MOH), Sarawak Health Department and Sarawak Education Department for their cooperation to ensure a smooth PICKids process in Sarawak. — DayakDaily
