COVID
19 has already affected more than 191 million people worldwide and has claimed
more than 4 million lives to date (22nd July 2021). Yet, we still do not completely understand this
disease. Data on children are even more sparse, making it difficult to lay down
a comprehensive guideline for the same.
However,
thanks to a handful of studies, we now understand that children are less affected,
are less infectious, have lesser mortality and risk of complications. Children with
underlying chronic diseases and infants under 1 year are especially at risk and
are advised selective shielding. Diagnosis is done by RT-PCR or serology, just
like in adults. Most affected children are asymptomatic, and even the
symptomatic children have a good outcome and usually need supportive management
and monitoring only. Up to 7% of children were found to require PICU support,
and mortality was less than 2%. Most deaths were attributed to underlying
conditions and immunological complications, especially MIS-C. Treatment is
predominantly supportive, with little consensus on specific treatments,
including corticosteroids, remdesivir, and IVIg. Management is best
individualized by a multidisciplinary team involving pediatricians, hematologists,
immunologists, and intensivists. Prevention of COVID 19 can be achieved by
proper hygiene, face masks, and social distancing. The upcoming vaccines are
expected to bring down the cases and hopefully bring this pandemic to a halt.
Keywords: COVID 19, Children, Corona virus, Newborns, MIS-C, PIMS, Remdesivir, RCPCH, Treatment, Recovery trial, Vaccine.
