Singapore — An NCID director has responded to an open letter from some Singaporean doctors asking for a delay in vaccinating young people after a 13-year-old boy died in the US three days after getting his second Covid-19 vaccine shot.
In a Facebook post on Monday (Jun 28), Associate Professor David Lye, director of the Infectious Disease Research and Training Office at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, echoed the sentiments made by the Ministry of Health in saying that the benefits of the Covid vaccine outweigh its risks.
Moreover, Prof Lye added that Covid-19 poses a significant risk for children and that Singapore is very lucky that the Delta variant has not spread widely in the country.
He also wrote that while for adults, there are some effective treatments for Covid-19, but for children, there are “very few,”
“Vaccination is the main protection for our kids,” wrote Prof Lye.
The NCID director also called the doctors out for seeming to want to leave children unprotected from Covid-19.
“They made up their own story about the unfortunate death of a child in US; the report did not say anything about heart failure and stated that investigation into the cause is under way…
Did we not have school outbreaks?
While our government strives to protect our children, these doctors are telling us to stop?!?!”
Prof Lye also suggested that the doctors who wrote the open letter may have an agenda “in repeatedly calling to stop mRNA vaccination.”
“Clearly they are selective in promoting certain information. They do not represent the majority of doctors”, he said.
He acknowledged that the MOH has pointed out the slightly heightened risk for young males and has advised what to do, including avoiding exercise for one week and seeking medical attention if they feel unwell.
He added a statement from health authorities in the United States, which included the following:
“Today, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss the latest data on reports of mild cases of inflammation of the heart muscle and surrounding tissue called myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 vaccination among younger people.
The facts are clear: this is an extremely rare side effect, and only an exceedingly small number of people will experience it after vaccination. Importantly, for the young people who do, most cases are mild, and individuals recover often on their own or with minimal treatment. In addition, we know that myocarditis and pericarditis are much more common if you get COVID-19, and the risks to the heart from COVID-19 infection can be more severe.
The vaccines are safe and effective, and they prevent COVID-19 illness. They will help protect you and your family and keep your community safe.
We strongly encourage everyone age 12 and older who are eligible to receive the vaccine under Emergency Use Authorization to get vaccinated, as the benefits of vaccination far outweigh any harm.
Especially with the troubling Delta variant increasingly circulating, and more readily impacting younger people, the risks of being unvaccinated are far greater than any rare side effects from the vaccines. If you get COVID-19, you could get severely ill and be hospitalized or even die. Even if your infection is mild, you or your child could face long-term symptoms following COVID-19 infection such as neurological problems or diminished lung function.”
/TISG