Survey: Two - Thirds Of Covid - Stricken Children Had No Underlying Health Issues
A survey in Japan has shown that about two-thirds of a group under the age of 20 who became moderately to severely ill from the coronavirus had no underlying health problems.
The Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine examined records pertaining to young people infected with the coronavirus between March 10 and August 15 this year, when most cases involved the Omicron variant.
The society found that 220 people were listed as moderate to severely ill, and had to be given oxygen or put on a ventilator.
Less than a third of them, or 70 people, had underlying health issues.
Of the 220 people who suffered moderate to severe symptoms, 15 percent were less than a year old; 43.6 percent were preschoolers; 32.7 percent were elementary school students; 4.1 percent were junior high school students and 4.5 percent were senior high school students or older. More than 90 percent were schoolchildren or younger.
The society also carried out a survey among a separate set of 131 people who became moderately to severely ill from June 26 through August 28. The results showed that 26 percent developed acute encephalopathy, 20.6 percent pneumonia and 16.8 percent suffered convulsions. About 60 percent of them, or 79 people, required intensive care.
The society's panel on pediatric intensive care called for steps to reduce infection risks, noting that more children had become seriously ill after the Omicron variant took over as the dominant strain.