Second under-12 COVID fatality in Singapore as 4-year-old girl dies
SINGAPORE — A four-year-old female Singaporean died on Sunday (17 July) due to COVID-19 infection. She is the city-state's second death in a patient aged below 12 years old caused by the coronavirus.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a media reply to Yahoo News Singapore on early Tuesday morning that the cause of death was determined by the state coroner to be COVID-19 pneumonia.
"The patient had no past medical history and was previously well," the ministry said in its reply.
"She developed symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection and fever on 15 July, and tested positive for COVID-19 via an antigen rapid test on 17 July at a general practitioner clinic.
"She was prescribed medications for her symptoms but remained unwell, and collapsed later that night."
MOH extended its deepest condolences to the girl's family.
Among four deaths reported on Sunday
The girl's death is one of four deaths reported in Singapore on Sunday. As of Monday noon, there have been 1,457 deaths reported in Singapore since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
Last month, a one-and-a-half-year-old Singaporean boy infected with COVID-19 died, making him the youngest-ever fatality from the virus in Singapore. The cause of his death was encephalitis – inflammation of the brain.
MOH said in its media reply that, while children are generally more resilient to COVID-19 infections than adults and the elderly, such infections can result in severe disease among the younger population.
"MOH, the Health Sciences Authority and Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination are studying the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines that have been formulated for young children under the age of five," it said.
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