More children suffer from complications from COVID, health experts say

Despite the drop in new cases of the virus, doctors have warned that hospitalizations could rise further in the coming weeks after tens of thousands of children were infected last month and some complications only appear four to six. weeks after infection.

Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 has been considered primarily harmless in children, but this has seemed to change with the emergence of the Delta variant which has correlated with an increase in infections and serious illness in children. younger populations.

“COVID is often more than a mild illness,” IPA president Professor Tzachi Grossman told Ynet. “There are serious complications and we must do all we can to prevent infections.”

Dr Adi Klein, who heads the pediatrics department at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera, said they were seeing younger and younger patients with serious complications from COVID-19.

“Previously we used to host mostly teenagers, but now we also see small children, as young as 4 and 5 years old, who come to us in serious condition due to complications from COVID,” she said. “COVID is mild in most children, but once tens of thousands of children are infected, some of them will eventually develop [more severe illness]. “

According to Dr. Klein, most younger patients suffer from Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PIMS) – a life-threatening inflammation that affects the body’s immune system.

“This has an impact on the heart and some children will need to be connected to a cardiac and pulmonary machine (ECMO). The clinical indication is high fever and abdominal pain. We had to treat some of the children with biological immunosuppressants who had significant side effects, ”she said.

“Children often arrived at the hospital when they were already at an advanced stage of the disease and in very serious condition. Their blood pressure was very low and they needed life-saving treatment.