While Corona infection rates among children in the country are high relative to the world, a minimal proportion of them need hospitalization or are in a difficult situation • Researchers: "Most children are infected at home, and infect less" • Recommend allowing schools to be opened "and be creative in solutions"
While the debate over the return of children to educational institutions is in full swing, preliminary data covering 20 hospitals in Israel show that although the rate of infection in children in Israel is higher than in other countries in the world, only a few need hospitalization or are in a difficult situation.
Galant: Assessment time is short, there will be difficulties like every year and more and also during the year // Photo: Knesset Channel
The data were collected by the Israeli Department of Infectious Diseases in Children and presented at a Clalit Health Fund conference. A picture emerges from them, according to which, as of the beginning of August, the rate of infection in Corona among children in Israel is 0.7% of all those infected, and in numbers 22,163.
The proportion of children who became infected and came to the hospital is half a percent (175), while the proportion of children with corona who came to the hospital in moderate to severe condition is only nine patients (0.05%) of those diagnosed. The median age of the hospitalized children was 8, and about 31% of the hospitalized were up to one year of age. The researchers note that most of them were hospitalized for isolation or social reasons, and not necessarily due to a significant medical condition. 20% of them (35) had background illnesses, and 20% of them (7 children) had chronic lung disease.
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Contrary to the worldwide trend, according to which there are more boys infected with corona than girls, an examination of the hospitalization data among children in Israel found the opposite picture: 57% of the hospitalized children were girls and 43% boys. It also shows that 39% of the children hospitalized belonged to the ultra-Orthodox sector, 25% to the Muslim sector and 36% to the rest of the population.
"The proportion of children of ultra-Orthodox and Muslim descent among children hospitalized with corona is high in relation to their rate in the population. For Infectious Diseases at Hillel Yaffe Hospital and Chairman of the Israeli Department of Infectious Diseases in Children.
Five children (3%) had a severe illness concurrently with corona, three (2%) suffered from myocarditis, two (1%) needed respiration and three (2%) were hospitalized in intensive care. However, all children tested in the sample recovered. Along with these cases, on June 27, Hadassah Ein Kerem died the youngest patient - 19 years old - who was overweight.
The main symptoms among the hospitalized children were fever (62%), cough (29%), shortness of breath (18%) and runny nose (15%). However, 13% of the patients were asymptomatic. The phenomenon of loss of taste and smell was relatively rare in the hospitalized children (2%), and 4% of them suffered from abdominal pain.
While in the US only 7% of corona patients are children and adolescents, in Israel the rate is more than four times higher - 29%. The data collected show that the rate of children up to the beginning of the second wave was only 21%, and increased over time.
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"The vast majority of corona cases in children are very mild to asymptomatic, and the rate of significant cases is minimal," Dr. Stein concludes.
"We have also seen that most children become infected at home, and we assume that close and significant contact is needed to be infected with corona. While childhood influenza is a significant vector for the spread of the virus, in Corona - especially in primary school, children are less infected and less infected.
We recommend returning to school but with classroom spacing, that students make sure to use masks and physical distance both in the classrooms and outside the classrooms, and at the same time it is very important to adhere to capsules. It is important to remember that not opening schools has serious implications for children. "Schools are not incubating Corona."
According to Stein and Ben Shimol, "schools should be allowed to open up and be creative in their solutions. The minimal complication rate we found in our study teaches that schools can be opened."