IN AREA G AND OTHER UNVACCINATED AREAS IN EAST TEXAS, COVID DISEASE IS NOT IMPROVED, YET
BECKERS ON FLU PLUS COVID= 28% MORTALITY
J. Harris: Have you had your flu shot?
Children Hospitalized with COVID-19: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes
ORIGINALLY FROM NEJM. EDITED BY JOURNAL WATCH
Many had underlying medical conditions, some were coinfected with other viruses, and nearly one third required ICU care.
As of January 2022, over 9.5 million COVID-19 cases in children have been reported in the U.S., with >30,000 hospitalizations and >750 deaths (American Academy of Pediatrics report. opens in new tab).
Researchers identified 915 children and adolescents admitted to six U.S. children’s hospitals during July and August 2021 with SARS-CoV-2 infections. These infections were identified incidentally in 19%, and 3% had multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Among the remaining 713 children, key findings included the following:
38% were 12 to 17 years old, 20% were 5 to 11, 17% were 1 to 4, and 25% were younger than 1 year.
68% had underlying medical conditions, most commonly obesity (32%); 12- to 17-year-olds had the highest obesity rate (61%).
16% had viral coinfections, most commonly respiratory syncytial virus; children <5 years had the highest coinfection rate (34%).
30% required intensive care unit (ICU) admission (median stay, 3 days).
Patients with underlying medical conditions were more likely to require ICU care than those without (35% vs. 18%), and patients with obesity had double the median hospital stay as did nonobese patients (4 vs. 2 days).
8 children required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and 11 (1.5%) died.
Only 1 child was fully vaccinated.
COMMENT
”This snapshot of the summer Delta variant surge demonstrates the risk for serious illness in children with COVID-19, particularly those with an underlying medical condition. It also reminds us that SARS-CoV-2 is not the only virus circulating, which complicates the clinical presentation of children with respiratory symptoms. This study was done shortly after the vaccination recommendation for adolescents and before younger children became eligible. Given the recent rise in pediatric cases and hospitalizations and the safety of vaccine in 5- to 11-year-olds (almost no serious events following >8 million doses; MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021; 70:1755. opens in new tab), we must encourage child vaccination to prevent hospitalization and death from COVID-19.”
Early Remdesivir to Prevent Progression to Severe Covid-19 in Outpatients
CONCLUSIONS
Among nonhospitalized patients who were at high risk for Covid-19 progression, a 3-day course of remdesivir had an acceptable safety profile and resulted in an 87% lower risk of hospitalization or death than placebo.
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE/POD CAST
Interview with Dr. David Morens on the need for developing broadly protective coronavirus vaccines.
J. Harris: This is an excellent, easy to understand, short Pod Cast from NEJM which dicusses the Corona Virus history over the years, Vaccines, Bats, needs and the like.
Other Pod Casts are available as well.
FROM BECKER:
Don’t count out delta just yet
(J. Harris-Data largely from “The Atlantic.”
AND LAST BUT NOT LEASED:
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