COMMENT | Covid-19: Protecting our children

COMMENT | It is painful when an adult dies from Covid-19 but it is tragic when it happens to a young child; especially when this occurs from a preventable cause.

While serious illness and deaths due to Covid-19 are uncommon among children, when the outbreak is very large, as occurring now, some children will sadly succumb. We need to be concerned for those children who are immunocompromised, malnourished, in poverty and have a chronic disease.

This recent infant death will have alarmed parents and those of us working with children. We want to know how we can protect our children better. The clear message is that we cannot protect our children without controlling the pandemic in the community; these two are intricately linked. I would like to offer some suggestions of what we can do in the face of the extensive community spread that is currently occurring in the country.

Support each other

The deep strength that Malaysians have always had is, that in times of crisis, we unite, put aside our differences and support each other. If you want to protect your child you need to support other children and families; the concept of #RakyatJagaRakyat.

Many are struggling with limited resources. They may attend the same schools as our children. Their parents may visit the same shops or supermarkets like us. We may share the same airspace in offices and lifts and buildings; some of them are cleaners or security guards or cook our meals at coffee shops. It is not the time now to be ...