Canadian researchers found out that the risk of severe coronavirus infection in children and adolescents is low. The findings of scientists are published in Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Specialists appreciated the health of 264 children and adolescents hospitalized in Canada from March 25 to December 31, 2020. 44 percent of them were hospitalized not with coronavirus infection – they were revealed only after. Among the main symptoms in 150 children and adolescents, in which initially diagnosed coronavirus infection were increased temperature, vomiting and cough. Researchers have expected children above the risk of severe COVID-19, which is usually observed in respiratory viral infections.
Half of the hospitalized disease occasionally was assessed as heavy, in 34 – as critical. 21 percentage was translated into the intensive care unit, 13 percent required auxiliary artificial ventilation of the lungs. It turned out that more often, severe diseases were observed in children with concomitant diseases, such as obesity, neurological or respiratory diseases. Half of severely ill children had more than two concomitant diseases.
“The relatively small number of hospitalizes emphasizes that children have an infection less hard than in adults, despite the fact that they are infected more often,” the authors of the study are noted in their work. Death from COVID-19 among children was extremely rare, and their level correlated with the previously established.
At the same time, experts note that the study was conducted before mass distribution in Canada “Delta” -variant of coronavirus. It is not known whether it causes more severe COVID-19 in children.