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CDC Report Finds Nearly 600 U.S. Cases Of Severe COVID-19 Illness In Children, Including 10 Deaths
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Aug 7, 2020
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Mark Lennihan/AP/Shutterstock
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Aug 7, 2020
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At least 570 children diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States have been identified with a rare but potentially deadly condition that has required intensive care treatment for a majority of patients, according to a study published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About two-thirds of the children in the research sample had no pre-existing underlying medical conditions prior to developing the illness. Ten children died from the disease.
The report marks only the second national study on the condition known as multisystem inflammatory sydrome in children (MIS-C) and comes as school districts across the country are debating their reopening plans. On Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo officially authorized all New York school districts to re-open this fall for in-person education so long as the state's infection levels remain low.
MIS-C was first identified in late April by European health officials but drew attention in the U.S. only after scores of children in New York began showing up with symptoms, which include toxic shock syndrome, rash, fever and abdominal issues. Although researchers are still trying to understand the disease, it is believed to emerge roughly two to four weeks after children experience the acute symptoms of coronavirus. Most patients test positive for the active virus or for antibodies.
To date, there have been 245 reported cases and 2 deaths in New York state resulting from MIS-C. Not all of those cases met the CDC’s criteria for the study. In late June, the New York state Department of Health, along with CDC and other researchers, published some early findings in The New England Journal of Medicine based on data from 26 states.
Friday's CDC study casts a wider net, tracking cases from 40 state health departments as of July 29th. The larger number likely reflects that the virus has now spread to most of the country, but also better monitoring after the CDC issued a health advisory in mid-May outlining the characteristics of the illness.
Although the latest report largely confirms many of the prior findings, one new possible link emerged: obesity was the most commonly reported underlying medical condition, affecting a quarter of the children.
The median age of the patients was 8 years old, but they ranged from as young as two weeks to 20 years old. Slightly more than half, 55%, were male.
Of those hospitalized, 60% were between the ages of 2 and 7. More than 61 percent witnessed an impact on four to five organs.
In terms of racial breakdown, 41% of the patients were Hispanic, while 33% were Black. While this was consistent with the prior study, the CDC noted that it is not clear whether the higher proportion of Hispanic and Black children affected is because of a higher level of infection within those communities.
"Long-standing inequities in the social determinants of health, such as housing, economic instability, insurance status, and work circumstances of patients and their family members have systematically placed social, racial, and ethnic minority populations at higher risk for COVID-19 and more severe illness, possibly including MIS-C," the authors wrote.
While the overwhelming majority of children with MIS-C have recovered, the CDC said that distinguishing children with MIS-C from those with acute COVID-19 is critical for early diagnosis and their subsequent treatment, as well as for anticipating possible adverse reactions to a vaccine once it becomes available.
The study listed several factors that may have affected the data, including incomplete reporting as well as insufficient testing in many regions, two limitations that some say have significantly hampered efforts to combat the virus. Back in June, when the first study on MIS-C came out, The New England Journal of Medicine published an editorial warning that U.S. public health officials may not be capturing all the cases.
"There is concern that children meeting current diagnostic criteria for MIS-C are the 'tip of the iceberg,' and a bigger problem may be lurking below the waterline," the editorial said.
Tagged
COVID-19
children
coronavirus
cdc
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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