Doctors urge vaccination as Covid cases among Children rise

Health experts are calling for children to receive their primary Covid-19 vaccine doses as infections among pediatric patients increase in Hong Kong.

The appeal comes amid a sustained rise in community transmission since mid-March, driven predominantly by the KP.3 variant.

Lau Yu-lung, chairman of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases, noted that while severe cases and deaths remain lower than previous waves, waning community immunity has allowed wider virus spread.

"After six months of low transmission since October, many residents either haven't been exposed or experienced only mild symptoms," Lau explained, emphasizing Covid-19's endemic status.

He recommended booster shots for vulnerable groups including the elderly, disabled and chronically ill, alongside renewed mask-wearing in crowded spaces and improved hygiene measures.

The warning gains urgency with Hong Kong recording five severe pediatric cases during the current wave.

Mike Kwan Yat-wah, an honorary associate professor at the University of Hong Kong's Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, revealed that most hospitalized children were unvaccinated.

"Even healthy children risk serious complications like croup and severe pneumonia," Kwan cautioned, noting five to six recent cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome - a dangerous Covid-related condition affecting hearts and lungs.

About 10 percent of recovered children develop long Covid, suffering prolonged taste/smell loss and cognitive impairment for up to two years.

"Vaccination significantly reduces these risks," Kwan stressed, assuring parents of the shots' safety while urging immediate primary dose administration for all unvaccinated children.