No evidence that B1617 variant attacks children especially: Ong Ye Kung

Singapore – A week after saying that the new B1617 Covid-19 variant “appears to affect children more,” Health Minister Ong Ye Kung disclosed that “there is no evidence the new variant attacks children more than adults”.

The multi-ministry task force (MTF) on Covid-19 announced on May 16 that the B1617 double-mutant variant first detected in India had been observed to affect younger children more; hence the need for schools to take a more cautious approach.

“We know that there are many new strains of the Covid-19 virus – there are various new mutations, and some of these mutations are much more virulent, and they seem to attack younger children,” said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.

Mr Ong, who co-chairs the task force, said that “it is true that there has been literature showing that (the B1617 strain) is more virulent. Fundamentally, you’re looking at a very contagious virus.”

As a result, schools quickly shifted to full home-based learning with proactive testing of all students once a Covid-19-positive case is detected.

On Thursday (May 27), Mr Ong took to Facebook to answer more questions regarding the variants and Covid-19 vaccination.

About the new B1617 variant, Mr Ong said, “There is no evidence that the new variant attacks children more than adults. But the new strain appears to be more transmissible, affecting both children and adults. So far, all the children with Covid-19 have mild symptoms.”

Mr Ong noted that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine works “just as well for young people aged 12-15 years old”, with the United States and Canada approving its use for this age group.

“There is also a view that since the younger group tend to have milder symptoms, the risks of vaccination for adolescents and children outweigh the benefits,” said Mr Ong.

In his post, Mr Ong also highlighted that there is currently no “killed-virus” Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in children.

He referred to concerns expressed by a group of doctors in Singapore last week about mRNA vaccines not being safe for children. They released an open letter addressed to parents considering vaccinating their children.

The group then called for a “killed-virus vaccine” to be approved for use in Singapore. After the Covid-19 expert committee addressed the doctors’ concerns, reiterating that the currently approved vaccines are safe and efficacious for children, all but one of the doctors retracted their previous statement.

“Vaccination remains important for this group as young people who are infected may be transmitting the virus to the older family members at home. So please consider that too,” said Mr Ong./TISG

Read related: Double-mutant coronavirus strain appears to be attacking children more: multi-ministry task force

Double-mutant coronavirus strain appears to be attacking children more: multi-ministry task force