Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

4-year-old girl dies after contracting Covid-19: MOH

SINGAPORE — A four-year-old girl who contracted Covid-19 has died, marking the second death caused by the coronavirus in a patient aged below 12.
The state coroner found that a four-year-old girl who got Covid-19 died after getting pneumonia, the Ministry of Health said.
The state coroner found that a four-year-old girl who got Covid-19 died after getting pneumonia, the Ministry of Health said.
Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

SINGAPORE — A four-year-old girl who contracted Covid-19 has died, marking the second death caused by the coronavirus in a patient aged below 12.

In a statement on Tuesday (July 19), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the four-year-old died from pneumonia on Sunday. She had no past medical history and was previously well.

“She developed symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection and fever on July 15, and tested positive for Covid-19 via an antigen rapid test on July 17 at a general practitioner clinic.”

The girl was prescribed medications for her symptoms but remained unwell and collapsed later that night.

The cause of death was later determined by the state coroner to be Covid-19 pneumonia, MOH added.

Pneumonia occurs when the lungs become inflamed or swollen, usually due to an infection. The air-filled sacs in the lungs responsible for absorbing oxygen are filled with pus and other fluids, making it difficult for oxygen to reach the blood. Breathing becomes difficult and body cells cannot function properly with little oxygen in the blood.

Last month, an 18-month-old Singaporean boy became the first death of a Covid-19 patient below 12 years old.

He died from encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) due to Covid-19 and viral infections due to the respiratory syncytial virus and enterovirus.

MOH said on Tuesday: “Children are generally more resilient to Covid-19 infections than adults and the elderly. Notwithstanding, Covid-19 infections can result in severe disease among children.”

The ministry, along with the Health Sciences Authority and expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination, have been studying the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines that have been formulated for young children under the age of five.

Related topics

Covid-19 coronavirus death pneumonia child children MOH

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.