DAP’s Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks in view of emerging variants of concern (VoCs) that are more transmissible being reported across the world, including Delta, Lambda and Delta Plus. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
KUCHING, Aug 10 — DAP’s Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii today urged the federal government and Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) to reconsider their decision not to offer Covid-19 vaccinations to children between the ages of 12 and 17.
He said the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks in view of emerging variants of concern (VoCs) that are more transmissible being reported across the world, including Delta, Lambda and Delta Plus.
“This is in view of the opening of schools in less than a month from now and the announcement by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on the easing of restrictions on movement controls including allowing parents, who are fully vaccinated, to travel across borders and states to meet their children below 18,” he said in a statement.
Dr Yii said data has shown that children and particularly adolescents can play a significant part in Covid-19 transmission, especially to high-risk groups including grandparents and other family members with co-morbidities.
“As we can see, especially with the new variants, the disease pattern has changed, and younger people are getting infected with Covid-19 even here in Sarawak.
He said 0.52 per cent or 15 of the 2,867 Covid-19 deaths reported in Malaysia as of June 1 occurred among children below the age of 18.
He said the long-term effects of those who have recovered from Covid-19 infections are still unclear.
Dr Yii said while he does understand the concern over possible side effects from vaccination, especially myocarditis (heart inflammation) as reported in the United States, such incidents are rare.
He said for girls aged 12 to 17, the risk of developing myocarditis and pericarditis from primary Covid-19 infection is 213 per million, adding that this is 24-fold the risk of getting it from the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines (nine per million).
“These figures speak for themselves. The benefits of vaccinating boys and girls aged 12 to 17 clearly outweigh the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis associated with the mRNA vaccines.
“Besides the mRNA vaccines other vaccines including Sinopharm and Sinovac have also been tested in young people over the age of 12, while the United States, Israel and China are now offering vaccines to this age group,” he added.
Dr Yii said the vaccines seem to be safe for adolescents, and some companies are now carrying out clinical trials in children as young as six months old.
“That is why I hope JKJAV will look through all the data again and realise that we need to protect our children even more,” he said, adding they make up about 30 per cent of the country’s population.