Parents are being advised to get their children under one vaccinated, as they are the most vulnerable to COVID-19 infection of all age groups and are at risk of developing severe symptoms or even dying if they have underlying conditions.

Dr, Tares Krassanairawiwong, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said that, from January 1st to May 20th,the COVID-19 infection rate among under children less than a year old was 1,581 for every 100,000 of the population, followed by 647 for 100,000 of the population among people aged over 70.

From May 28th to June 3rd, there were 3,085 admissions to hospitals, or an average of 440 cases a day, representing an increase of 4% from the previous week.

386 were diagnosed with lung infections and 243 of them needed ventilators. The death toll was 68, or an average of 9 per day, 97% of whom were over 60 or had underlying diseases. It was also discovered that 45.6% of those who perished had not received a vaccine booster shot for over three months or had not received two vaccine shots.

Dr. Tares assured parents, who are reluctant to have their children vaccinated due to fake or distorted news, that vaccines are safe, adding that millions of vaccine doses have been administered to children and it has been proved that the vaccines are safe.

Young children, he said, are less prone to side effects than older ones and those who have a fever or suffer from fatigue will recover in 1-2 days.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kulkanya Chokephaibulkit, an infectious disease paediatrician at the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, said that the vaccines can help reduce the severity of Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in Children (Mis-C) by about 90%.

She said that most young children infected with COVID-19 have not been vaccinated and some children may develop severe symptoms because they were infected by other viruses,which may result in Long COVID.

She disclosed that vaccines are about 60% effective in preventing infection for the first four months, so people should have at least three vaccinations, which will be effective in preventing severe symptoms for longer.