A total of 310,074 children and teenagers below the age of 17 were found positive for Covid-19 between January and August this year, according to the Health Ministry.
The whopping number is 24 times higher than what was recorded for the whole of 2020, when only 12,620 children and teens were positive for the coronavirus.
According to statistics released by the ministry today, the highest number of cases were found among children of primary school age (between 7 and 12), where 106,823 cases have been detected as of Aug 31.
That age group only saw 4,071 cases last year.
Adolescents of secondary school age (between 13 and 17) were the second-highest group with 89,087 cases, compared to 4,142 last year.
The ministry also recorded a huge increase in the number of Covid-19 deaths among youths, jumping from only six in the whole of last year to 41 this year up till August.
Teens made up the highest number of deaths with 16 so far this year, followed by infants who were between newborn and four years old with 15 deaths.
Malaysiakini has sent a request to the Health Ministry for elaboration on what could have caused the huge jump in the number of cases, especially involving the seven to 12 age group.
While the mass vaccination drive that started in February this year led to fewer serious Covid cases, there is still no immunisation for children under 18 as the inoculation exercise is so far only available for adults due to safety concerns. - Mkini
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