27,000 kids infected with Covid-19 since Omicron wave started: How parents coped with it
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The Straits Times speaks with parents of six children on what it was like when their offspring contracted the coronavirus, and how they coped even as some of them battled the virus themselves. All declined to give their full names because they worried their children would be picked on by their peers.
27,000 children have had Covid-19 since Omicron wave started: MOH
At KK Women's and Children's Hospital, the number of young patients admitted for Covid-19 has doubled since the Omicron variant hit.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Around 27,000 children aged five to 11 have contracted Covid-19 since December last year, when the first locally transmitted Omicron case was reported in Singapore, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Saturday (Feb 26).
Although MOH did not give a breakdown of numbers, it is believed that the majority of these infections were caused by the Omicron variant, which is now the dominant strain of the virus here.
askST: My child tested positive for Covid-19, when should I go to emergency department?
Most children with Covid-19 do not fall severely ill, and even those who are hospitalised can typically be discharged within three days.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Parents whose children have tested positive for Covid-19 have been urged to avoid emergency departments unless the children develop serious medical problems.
But what kind of symptoms should trigger an urgent hospital visit?
Living with Covid-19 in a two-room rental flat
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
After living in a two-room rental unit in Ang Mo Kio for 15 years, Mr Fedayin Ijan, 44, and his family of six were looking forward to moving to a four-room Housing Board flat next month.
As they were steadily preparing for the move, his daughters were hit by Covid-19 on Feb 11.
When a pre-schooler gets Covid-19: Two parents' stories
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
On the first day of Chinese New Year, Madam Ling and her family dressed up to snap a photo before leaving the house. But her younger son, aged six, was lethargic and refused to cooperate, simply plopping himself down on the floor.
He was partially vaccinated at the time, and his parents tested him for Covid-19. He was negative.
Parents test positive but have to look after infected infants
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Clinging to her mother and wailing from the discomfort of being unwell, the seven-month-old baby demanded to be picked up.
Ms Lee, a 28-year-old first-time mum, had to soothe her child while grappling with her own Covid-19 symptoms of headache, fatigue and sore throat.
What to do if Covid-19 positive? Free children's e-book to help families
What Do I Do If I'm Covid Positive? is the second e-book written by Emily Lim-Leh and illustrated by Josef Lee about fighting the virus.
PHOTOS: EMILY LIM-LEH AND JOSEF LEE
As more kids younger than 12 contract Covid-19, a new free children’s e-book is available to help them and their families make sense of the recovery process.
What Do I Do If I’m Covid Positive? is the second e-book written by Emily Lim-Leh and illustrated by Josef Lee, about fighting the virus. The first, I Can Recover At Home!, was released in November.
