New Study Reveals COVID-19 Threats To Children

Photo illustration (Aditya Romansa / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The perception that the spread of COVID-19 is more dangerous for parents than children seems to have to be thrown away immediately. The reason is, the latest research reveals that pediatrician services in the United States (US) can be filled with thousands of babies and young children infected with COVID-19. The risk of viral infection for children, especially babies, is quite serious.

It is true that children have a lower risk of death from COVID-19 than parents. However, according to a recent study cited by the SCMP, it is clear that young infants are at risk of developing severe infections. Meanwhile, the estimated population of infant children in the US is feared to threaten the capacity of health facilities for children.

The study, led by Elizabeth Pathak, a public health scientist and Chair of the Women Institute for Independent Social Inquiry, warns against feeling complacent about the low threat impact of COVID-19 on children. On the other hand, the community must increase their vigilance.

The study reveals that one in two hundred children in the US is likely to be infected with the virus. Of that number, about 991 children are estimated to be severely infected and require hospitalization. In the most extreme scenario, it is estimated that three in five US children will become infected, with a total of 118,887 children at risk of becoming seriously ill.

"Case severity and mortality is much lower for children than for the elderly, and this fact has created a sense of complacency that COVID-19 is not a major problem for children's health," according to the study published last week in the Journal of Public Health Management. and Practice.

Apart from the threat of being infected with a serious disease, another challenge that is ready to confront is related to the capacity of special health facilities for children. "Because there are 74 million children aged 0 to 17 in the US, the projected number of cases could squeeze the number of dedicated pediatric hospital resources," the journal wrote.

Meanwhile, citing a study from China, children who are most at risk of developing severe or critical illness are babies under one year old, which is 10.6 percent, followed by children between one and five years old at 7.3 percent. Meanwhile, 4.2 percent threatened children aged six to 15 years.

In America alone, Patahak and his team have estimated that 176,190 children have been infected with COVID-19 based on data on the number of children admitted to pediatric intensive care units in 19 states as of April 6.

Therefore, the researchers recommend planning a health care system to address severe cases of infection in children and a greater understanding for parents of infection prevention practices, as well as plans for early detection, treatment, and isolation of children infected with the virus.