‘Vanishingly small’ risk of death for children from COVID

LONDON: The risk of severe illness and death to children from COVID-19 is vanishingly small, according to the biggest study yet of those admitted to hospital, which the researchers say should reassure parents as they return to school, foreign media reported, foreign media reported.

The study included two-thirds of all patients admitted to hospitals across England, Scotland and Wales with Covid-19. Of these, 651 – less than 1% – were children and young people under 19. Six of these patients – less than 1% – died. All had severe underlying health conditions.

“They were children with profound co-morbidities – not a touch of asthma and not cystic fibrosis,” said Calum Semple, professor in child health and outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool, and co-lead of the study by the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium. Their conditions included cancer and serious neurological, blood or heart issues.