NTB officials record surge in cases of children with COVID-19

Officials in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) have recorded a considerable surge in the number of COVID-19 cases among children this week, with the age group representing about 15 percent of the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the province thus far.

As of yesterday afternoon, NTB recorded 86 pediatric cases of COVID-19, which NTB Health Agency Chief Nurhandini Eka Dewi says indicated that transmissions of the coronavirus among children are still happening in the province. 

Of that total, 35 patients are below five years of age, while three COVID-19 deaths in the province were patients who had been less than one year old. This includes the death of a nine-month-old baby identified as FH, who died on Tuesday. The patient reportedly did not have travel history to areas affected by COVID-19 nor previous contact with a confirmed patient. 

Health officials are expecting the number of infections to continue rising in the coming days. 

“Especially cases involving children and toddlers, if parents are not disciplined and continue to bring their kids out,” Dewi said. 

NTB has so far recorded 590 COVID-19 cases, including 276 recoveries and 10 deaths. Following the surge in pediatric cases, the provincial government is calling on parents to educate their children on preventative and hygiene measures, such as proper coughing etiquette and the usage of masks when outside the home. However, officials have noted that parents ought to limit children’s activities and keep them at home. 

On May 18, the Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) reported 584 confirmed coronavirus cases among children across Indonesia, which at the time also included 14 deaths. IDAI also said that over 3,300 children are listed as Patients Under Observation (PDP) in the country, 129 of whom have died as suspected coronavirus patients.

The findings, according to IDAI, indicate that COVID-19 deaths among children in Indonesia are “high,” and show that children are not invulnerable to the viral disease.

Read more news and updates from Bali here.

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