Sabah monitoring mental health of children with Covid-19

 By Olivia Miwil - November 20, 2020 @ 9:48pm

kids swabbed by frontliners
Guardians should monitor the children’s mental health and contact the support service should they need any further intervention. - NSTP/MUHD ASYRAF SAWAL.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has 3,030 children under 12 who have been infected with Covid-19 and may require psychosocial support from the authorities.

State Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Dr Masidi Manjun said 1,241 of these young patients were under 5 years old and 191 were infants.

"Sabah Health Department's Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Service has been offering its help to all who have been affected by Covid-19 regardless of their age.

"Among the problems that these children might face are being stigmatised by others," he said in a virtual press conference.

Masidi also said guardians should monitor the children's mental health and contact the support service should they need any further intervention.

However, he said none of the children required medical treatment to refer them to mental health experts.

Apart from counselling services, a Psychosocial First Aid Kit contains activities such as arts and music therapy, as well as story-telling.

Today, the state recorded 512 cases with 194 cases (37.89%) from the Sabaru Cluster in Lahad Datu.

There are also three deaths and a new cluster has been detected in Tawau known as the Kasir Cluster.

Masidi also said the state government would not allow social visit pass holders especially those from countries with high Covid-19 cases to enter Sabah.

The 23 countries are the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Iran, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Turkey, Italy, German, Iraq, Philippine and Indonesia.

Masidi said the ban applied to permanent residents, Malaysia My Second Home programme participants, expatriates, foreign spouses, students and temporary work pass holders.

However, he said those who had obtained approvals from the Immigration director-general, diplomats with exemption order, ship crew, or professionals in the oil and gas industry would be exempted from the ban.




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