Children prioritised for COVID treatment
All hospitals are being instructed they must not reject children infected with COVID-19 and must also have on hand suitable medication for their treatment.
Traisuree Taisaranakul, deputy government spokeswoman, said on Monday (Jan 10) that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had ordered the Public Health Ministry to ensure public and private hospitals do not refuse admission to children infected with the coronavirus and that young patients should be prioritised. “The prime minister is concerned about the reported case of a hospital rejecting a child. He asked the Public Health Ministry to arrange for the efficient admission or referral of this group of patients, because children have lower immunity from not having been vaccinated like adults,” Ms Traisuree said.
Her comments follow reports that a couple in Nonthaburi province could not find a hospital that would immediately admit their 8-month-old grandchild for treatment. The child had been infected with COVID-19 by its parents and had a fever and low blood oxygen levels. It was reported that hospital staff had told them to queue and wait their turn. Prayut had ordered the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health to admit all COVID-19-infected children whatever the severity of their symptoms, and to advise hospitals nationwide on treatment for the young and the preparation of liquid favipiravir antiviral medication for them, the spokeswoman said. She also advised parents to avoid taking their children to crowded places and to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 themselves, to reduce the chance of their youngsters being infected.
This came after the government confirmed last Saturday (Jan ) it has prepared doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11.
The vaccination drive is expected to begin next month, according to the Public Health Ministry. It is entirely voluntary to them and their parents, and the Education Ministry is taking a voluntary survey to gauge the demand, deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said.
Schools and hospitals will serve as vaccination sites. Children over 12 who have not been vaccinated can walk-in to any hospital or clinic, as notified by provincial communicable disease committees or Bangkok Communicable Disease Committee, to receive the shot.
The spokeswoman added that the government last year had targeted to vaccinate 50 million of 70mn people, or 70% of the total population, using 100mn doses. It had administered 104.4mn doses and acquired 130.6mn doses up to Dec 31.
This year, it is ready to acquire 120mn doses to be used as a booster shot as well as doses for children.