COVID-19: Rising Cases / Masks & Breathing in Young Children

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

New COVID-19 cases are increasing across the globe for the first time in 6 weeks, World Health Organization officials said on Monday. In particular, over the last week, reported cases rose in all regions except Africa and the Western Pacific. Officials said the spread of highly transmissible variants plus reopening efforts have contributed to the increase.

In other COVID-19 news, researchers report that face masks don't appear to interfere with respiratory function in children, even among those under age 2 years.

Nearly 50 children — roughly half between 4 and 24 months of age, and half between 2 and 12 years — had respiratory parameters measured during 30 minutes without a face mask and then 30 minutes while wearing a surgical mask. The children wore a respiratory monitoring device and were told to maintain their typical play activity. The older group was also evaluated while wearing a mask during a 12-minute walk test. Children with lung or cardiac disease were excluded.

Respiratory function — as measured by partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide, oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and respiratory rate — did not differ between 30-minute periods with and without masks in either age group. During the walking test in the older group, pulse rate was higher than during other periods, whereas other respiratory measures did not differ.

The CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics do not currently recommend face masks for children under age 2 years. The researchers, writing in JAMA Network Open, suggest that such guidance "could be reconsidered."