1. COVID-19 in children across three Asian cosmopolitan regions.
- Author
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Chua GT, Xiong X, Choi EH, Han MS, Chang SH, Jin BL, Lee EJ, Kim BN, Kim MK, Doo K, Seo JH, Kim YJ, Kim YJ, Park JY, Suh SB, Lee H, Cho EY, Kim DH, Kim JM, Kim HY, Park SE, Lee JK, Jo DS, Cho SM, Choi JH, Jo KJ, Choe YJ, Kim KH, Chi S, Tang ST, Qin H, Zhou LS, Chen P, Wong JSC, Chan KCC, Yau FYS, Lam SY, Chow CCK, Wong TW, Chan VC, Poon GWK, Chow CB, Wong WHS, Lau YL, Chan GCF, Chui CSL, Li X, Ho MHK, Wong ICK, Tam PKH, To KKW, Kim JH, Ip P, and Kwan MYW
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Child, Child, Preschool, China epidemiology, Female, Hong Kong epidemiology, Humans, Male, Republic of Korea epidemiology, COVID-19 epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2
- Abstract
ABSTRACT As another wave of COVID-19 outbreak has approached in July 2020, a larger scale COVID-19 pediatric Asian cohort summarizing the clinical observations is warranted. Children confirmed with COVID-19 infection from the Republic of Korea, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Wuhan, China, during their first waves of local outbreaks were included. Their clinical characteristics and the temporal sequences of the first waves of local paediatric outbreaks were compared. Four hundred and twenty three children with COVID-19 were analyzed. Wuhan had the earliest peak, followed by Korea and HKSAR. Compared with Korea and Wuhan, patients in HKSAR were significantly older (mean age: 12.9 vs. 10.8 vs. 6.6 years, p < 0.001, respectively) and had more imported cases (87.5% vs. 16.5% vs. 0%, p < 0.001, respectively). The imported cases were also older (13.4 vs. 7.6 years, p < 0.001). More cases in HKSAR were asymptomatic compared to Korea and Wuhan (45.5% vs. 22.0% vs. 20.9%, p < 0.001, respectively), and significantly more patients from Wuhan developed fever (40.6% vs. 29.7% vs. 21.6%, p =0.003, respectively). There were significantly less imported cases than domestic cases developing fever after adjusting for age and region of origin ( p = 0.046). 5.4% to 10.8% of patients reported anosmia and ageusia. None developed pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PMIS-TS). In general, adolescents were more likely to be asymptomatic and less likely to develop fever, but required longer hospital stays. In conclusion, majority patients in this pediatric Asian cohort had a mild disease. None developed PIMS-TS. Their clinical characteristics were influenced by travel history and age.
- Published
- 2020
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