Despite the heat, Covid has resumed galloping. It runs among adults, with over one million currently positive and 8,220 hospitalizations in ordinary wards. And it also runs hand in hand with the little ones. The latest report by Fiaso, the Italian Federation of Healthcare and Hospitals, takes stock of the situation of pediatric wards, taking as a model a sample of seven sentinel hospitals: therefore hospitalizations increase, with an increase of 84.3% compared to last week and a total of 94 young patients, of which 69 were hospitalized solely due to the symptoms of Covid 19. Fortunately, no serious cases, but in children – especially the youngest, the 0-4 age group which represents 78% of hospitalizations in the Fiaso series – even a bad flu-like symptomatology can make hospitalization necessary.
“The situation in the pediatric population is similar to what we see in adults,” he explains Alberto Villani, Head of General Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases of the Child Jesus. “Infections are increasing dramatically, and therefore hospital admissions are increasing. In the last two weeks, access to the pediatric emergency room has more or less doubled”.
Covid children, hospitalizations doubled: the majority in the 0-4 range
Symptoms
What symptoms do young patients present with? About a quarter of the total, at least in the Fiaso survey, goes to the hospital to treat other pathologies, and is found positive during pre-admission swabs. The others – the majority – arrive at the emergency room with the classic symptoms of a bad flu: high fever, headache, malaise, bone and muscle pain, respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms.
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“The most fragile subjects, those suffering from other diseases and younger children, are obviously more at risk – explains Villani – in these patients hospitalization is evaluated in the presence of very high fever, lack of appetite and ease of dehydration, respiratory symptoms, and others disorders that make it impossible to let them go home, because they require the attention available in a hospital setting “.
It is not a seasonal infection
In short, the situation follows that seen in the other waves of the epidemic: children tend to develop less severe symptoms than adults, especially as regards the involvement of the lower airways (Covid pneumonia), very rare in pediatric age, but they are not however immune to the disease. And with the growth of infections, so too do the numbers of young patients who have to face the trauma of a hospitalization or (fortunately extremely rarely) of a stay in intensive care.
“This new wave has shown us two things – concludes Villani – the first is that this is not a seasonal infection, since, despite what some self-styled experts said, the infections are rising quickly even in the height of summer. The second is that vaccines are essential to reduce individual risks: the most affected group is that of younger children, for whom vaccines have not yet been approved in Europe “.
Covid children, hospitalizations doubled: the majority in the 0-4 range