After homeschooling for almost 2 years due to the pandemic, Malaysian kids have been given the green light to go back to school. But are parents happy with the government’s decision?
After all, the pandemic is not yet over and we have just begun lifting Covid-19 restrictions and slowly resuming a “normal” life.
Now, the big question is how safe is it to potentially expose our kids to the coronavirus without the protection of vaccination?
What Are The Risks Of Sending Unvaccinated Children To School?
Children who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be asymptomatic. According to a study of numerous researches, about half of affected kids did not exhibit any symptoms.
In general, children with Covid-19 symptoms have a slight illness. A recent article by Malay Mail on September 23rd 2021, revealed that, according to the Ministry of Health, 410,762 Malaysian children aged 17 and under contracted Covid-19 this year, jumping from 12,620 in 2020.
During a press conference recently, the Ministry of Health and its officials stated that owing to the rising number of Covid-19 infections among children, the public should not believe that vaccinating adults will reliably safeguard children.
Children’s coronavirus symptoms may not be obvious – which make their chances of infecting others highly possible.
What Are The Effects Of The Delta Variant On Unvaccinated Children?
On 18th of August 2021, The Star reported that, according to health care experts in Malaysia, more children are being hospitalized for Covid-19 now than at any previous time throughout the continuing pandemic, as the extremely infectious Delta form becomes increasingly prevalent in Malaysia.
Too many children have presented with Covid-19 symptoms in the last two months, necessitating the expansion of one ward for Covid-19 child patients to an entire floor in the children’s building at University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), according to consultant paediatric cardiologist Assoc Prof Dr Norazah Zahari.
Children are naturally very fragile and are quick to contract viruses or any sort of disease. They need to be protected with extra measures to help safeguard them from the fatal outbreak!
The kids had cardiac problems as a result of the Covid-19 infection, and one of them was diagnosed with the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). MIS-C is a severe Covid-19 complication that causes inflammation in multiple organs, including the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and kidneys.
Children who contract Covid-19 have a lower risk of developing severe symptoms, but they are not immune to the disease. Concerns have been expressed by experts about this “pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
Until recently, children in Malaysia were banned from receiving vaccinations, despite the fact that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been authorized for children aged 12 and above.
How To Make Sure Our Kids Are Safe At School Despite Covid-19
This is where Carlberg’s Safer School campaign plays a huge role in safeguarding the livelihood of our children. The brewer is partnering with WonderKlean, a CUCKOO Healthy Home brand under CUCKOO International (MAL) Sdn Bhd to provide full disinfection services for schools with reported Covid-19 positive cases within
48 hours.
In response to the ministry’s focus on the safe reopening of schools, Carlsberg Malaysia is upgrading its contribution this year with ISRAK Solution’s contact-free, facial-recognition infrared thermometers to help schools digitalise attendance for contact tracing and efficiently monitor students’ temperatures upon arrival.
Carlsberg Malaysia’s Safer Schools campaign is open to applications from public primary schools (Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan, Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina and Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil) in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
Applications for the facial-recognition infrared thermometers are open from 27th September 2021 to 11th October 2021, whilst applications for disinfection services can be made in the event Covid-19 positive cases are reported at schools.
Schools interested to apply are required to obtain consent from their respective President of the Board of Governors or Parent-Teacher Associations and submit applications via forms available HERE.
