She died yesterday evening and did not have any pre-existing conditions.

A 100-year-old woman with chronic illness also died.

They are the youngest and oldest residents to die in the current outbreak.

Hong Kong recorded 4,285 new Covid cases today, as well as 7,000 preliminary infections.

There are 17 patients in critical condition – all adults – and officials announced nine deaths, including the two female residents reported overnight.

The toddler’s death comes amid a global surge of young Covid patients and raises concerns about the risk of severe illness, though such cases remain rare.

While the outbreak in Hong Kong is small by global standards, the elderly vaccination rate is low and officials only recently permitted inoculation for kids younger than 12.

Children as young as three were able to get the Sinovac Biotech Ltd vaccine from yesterday, after the government lowered the age limit.

Children between five and 11 can get the BioNTech SE shot from today.

The young girl tested positive and was transferred to an intensive care unit in critical condition on Sunday.

The fatality follows the recent death of a four-year-old boy who tested preliminary positive and whose case has been referred to coroner.

About 17% of confirmed cases in the past two weeks are in patients aged 17 or younger, health officials said today.

Out of this group, 9% are six-years-old or younger.

Hong Kong is particularly vulnerable to Omicron due to its high density.

The variant is better at evading immunity acquired from vaccines and natural infection than earlier strains, allowing it to spread rapidly in communities, especially among susceptible individuals across all age groups.

Young children’s early stages of physical development made them more prone to serious complications after contracting respiratory viruses, the South China Morning Post reported, citing Lau Yu-lung, a paediatrician and member of the government’s advisory panel on Covid-19 vaccines and the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases.

Covid-19 remains a mild disease in the vast majority of children, and there’s no evidence that Omicron is changing that.

Early data suggest that, as with all other variants, severity increases with age and in the presence of underlying medical conditions, as well as among people who aren’t vaccinated.