PUBLISHED ONJune 28, 2022 7:31 AMByAmierul RashidA neighbour of Zaheer Raees Ali, the toddler who died after getting Covid-19, recalled to AsiaOne just how active this 1½-year-old boy was.
Little Zaheer became Singapore's first Covid-19 death under the age of 12 yesterday (June 27).
This neighbour, who only wanted to be known as Nick, lives in a HDB unit just opposite little Zaheer's family at Bukit Panjang.
The self-employed man told AsiaOne today that he would often hear squeals of joy whenever the toddler and his elder brother play along the corridor.
In fact, Nick's five-year-old daughter just played with little Zaheer and his elder brother at the playground last month.
"He was very naughty and playful," Nick said, describing the toddler.
However, the corridors have been "quite quiet" of late said Nick, as little Zaheer was taken to KKH Children's Emergency Department on the night of June 21 with recurrent seizures and a high fever.
He was admitted to the Children's Intensive Care Unit in critical condition the next day, when he was diagnosed with severe meningoencephalitis, reported The Straits Times.
This 42-year-old told us how shocked he was when he heard the news of Zaheer's passing yesterday evening and how he was completely unaware that the young boy had been struggling with Covid-19.
On June 23, Zaheer's father Basharath Ali sent out a plea on LinkedIn under the moniker Farath Shba in the hopes of finding a neurosurgeon to save his son.
Unfortunately, little Zaheer died from Covid-19 four days later. He had no other past medical history and was previously well.
Basharath said on Monday (June 27) that Zaheer had fought for his life in his last days.
"Today, my strong, brave son passed on to the next world after fighting for his life," he wrote on LinkedIn.
Nick told AsiaOne that he saw Basharath's family gathering around in the living room last night.
"An elderly family member then told me that the little boy had passed on," Nick said.
Once he learnt of the news, Nick said he then passed some condolence money to Basharath and the two neighbours had a short exchange.
Nick described how Basharath seemed "very blurred and cannot talk". As he tried to console his neighbour, Nick understood how tragic an incident this was.
"We have quite a harmonious relationship with the family," Nick said.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement on Monday that the toddler died of encephalitis — or inflammation of the brain — due to Covid-19 and two other viruses.
"MOH extends our deepest condolences to the patient's family," said the ministry, adding that KK Women's and Children's Hospital is in contact with the family to support them where necessary.
The latest death takes Singapore's total number of Covid-19 fatalities to 1,409.
On Monday, Singapore reported 5,309 new coronavirus cases, up from 5,116 the day before.
This article's headline has been edited for clarity.