COVID-19: Severe Illness in Children / Excess Mortality in NYC / Vaccine R&D

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

Take a look at some of the latest findings on novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19):

Severe illness in children: Of 48 children with COVID-19 admitted to 14 U.S. pediatric ICUs between mid-March and early April, over 80% had underlying medical conditions, a JAMA Pediatrics study finds. The most common underlying conditions were immune suppression/cancer, followed by obesity and diabetes. Roughly three quarters presented with respiratory symptoms, and nearly 40% overall required invasive ventilation. At follow-up, two patients (ages 12 and 17 years) had died; 15 were still hospitalized. Among those discharged, the median length of ICU stay was 5 days and the median length of hospital stay was 7 days. Of note, severe COVID-19 in children was relatively rare: 46 pediatric ICUs were studied, but just these 14 (30%) reported cases.

Excess mortality in NYC: From March 11 to May 2, New York City reported over 24,000 excess deaths — that is, more deaths than would be expected based on prior years' data. Nearly 14,000 of these were attributed to laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, and another 5000 were attributed to probable COVID-19 (without lab confirmation). Writing in MMWR, researchers speculate that the remaining 5000 excess deaths "might have been directly or indirectly attributable to the pandemic." They note that deaths in people with conditions like heart disease and diabetes "might not be recognized as being directly attributable to COVID-19."

Vaccine R&D: In Science, several health experts — including the directors of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institutes of Health — note that "no single vaccine or vaccine platform alone is likely to meet the global need" for COVID-19 prophylaxis. They say it is essential for public health agencies, academia, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to collaborate in developing a "variety of vaccine approaches," and they describe one such collaboration that's in place — the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) partnership. Find out more at the third link below.