Siti Sarah Raissuddin, Another Life Lost to COVID-19

On Monday, Malaysians mourn the loss of the talented songstress Siti Sarah Raissuddin, 36, as she succumbed to COVID-19 complications at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital (HUKM).

The singer had to be put in an induced coma in order for her to deliver her fourth child, with her pregnancy at the age of seven months.

On the 27th of July, the singer confirmed that she and her family tested positive for COVID-19. Three days post-delivery, at 5:13 am, Sarah passed. Her husband, Shuib, confirmed that she was not vaccinated.

600,000 individuals tuned in to Shuib’s Instagram Live, where he called for viewers to get their vaccination as soon as possible. Along with grieving family and netizens, celebrity colleagues also offered their condolences for the family’s loss.

Malaysia’s Director-General of Health, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, expressed his condolences on his Twitter as well.

Siti Sarah’s death is only one out of the 212 lives lost on Monday, and the 10,961 all-time COVID-19 deaths in the country as of 9th August 2021.

In a clinical guideline released by Malaysia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) on 1st July 2021, pregnant women are classified as a priority group, and the ministry’s advice is to have them offered vaccination between 14 to 33 weeks of pregnancy, and high-risk mothers should ideally be vaccinated pre-pregnancy.

According to the data collated in the same document, the Pfizer vaccine is recommended for both pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

For the expecting mothers who still doubt the benefits of the vaccine, or are just facing stubborn naysayers, watch this World Health Organisation (WHO) video, where chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan explains the science concerning pregnancy, menstruation, lactation and fertility.