Thread by @nigeltwitt

To reassure parents, a reminder of some key facts about #COVID in #children:
 
#SARSCoV2 infection remains asymptomatic or mild in the vast majority of children, even with the #DeltaVariant. Hospitalisation and deaths from COVID are still rare in this age group.

1/n 🧵

However, the greater transmissibility of the Delta variant means there is more COVID in *all* age groups, including children, so we will see more paediatric cases.

As a large number of older people are now vaccinated, the increase is blunted in the elderly so, compared with earlier in the pandemic, a higher *proportion* of current cases will be in children: this can give the mistaken impression that the Delta variant is targeting children.

PIMS-TS (aka MIS-C) is rare, occurring 2 to 6 weeks after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in <0.1% cases in chidren and adolescents.

Evidence to date suggests #LongCovid is less common in children than in adults, although many studies have limitations and most do not include a control group to enable separation of symptoms attributable to the pandemic (e.g. lockdowns, school closures etc).

The balance of risks and benefits of vaccinating children under 12 is much more complex than in older age groups. We await the results of trials in this age group to confirm safety and efficacy (including single and lower doses).

@MCRI_for_kids @RCHMelbourne @UniMelbMDHS @ASIDANZ @ESPIDsociety @WSPID @PIDSociety @DFTBubbles #medpeds #tweetiatrician #paediatrics #pediatrics #PaedsID #PedsID #PedID #PID #IDTwitter