A two-year-old boy is in a critical condition in intensive care after suffering with breathing difficulties when he contracted the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
The tot started having symptoms on Friday - a barking cough, an infection in his upper airways and breathing difficulties that was getting worse.
The boy was taken to hospital in Hong Kong on Monday and is currently intubated, with a machine breathing for him, after he fell into a coma.
Chairman of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases in Hong Kong, Lau Yu-lung told reporters the boy fell into a coma because the trachea of children is narrower, making it easy for them to not get enough oxygen when breathing is difficult.
Mr Lau also said the hospital tried to reduce the swelling caused by the inflammation and dilate the bronchial tubes, but the boy was still not getting enough oxygen, and required intubation.
He added that the tot's five-year-old sister also has the infection but is currently stable.
Neither of the youngsters were vaccinated against coronavirus.
Mr Lau added that there have been many Covid-19 cases of children admitted to hospitals in Hong Kong in recent days.
Liu Jiaxian, chief administrative manager of the hospital authority advised parents to be extra vigilant.
He said that if parents find that children having difficulty breathing or finding it hard to breath, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
He added quick medical intervention can reduce the chance of diagnosis of intubation in young children.
He also pointed out that the number of children diagnosed with severe illness is increasing, and the paediatric isolation beds are tight across the country.
