Ohio hospital sees increase in asymptomatic coronavirus cases in children, doctor claims

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At least one hospital in Ohio is reportedly seeing an increase in asymptomatic cases of the novel coronavirus in children.

Dr. Amy Edwards, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, told local news station Fox 8 that there has recently been an increase in asymptomatic cases among children.

LOUISIANA CHILD'S POSSIBLE CORONAVIRUS-LINKED MIS-C DEATH THE FIRST IN STATE

“There are two things that are happening. One, we are testing more children so the number of tests we are performing are increasing. But the other thing is… the percent of tests coming back positive of asymptomatic children are also getting bigger,” she said, noting this is an increase of about five to six percent from March.

Hospitalizations among children testing positive for COVID-19 have also recently seen a spike, she said, warning that many of the children in the pediatric ward are suffering from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a condition that is similar to Kawasaki disease, which causes swelling in arteries throughout the body. However, the two conditions are not the same, and MIS-C has largely been reported in children who have been infected with or exposed to COVID-19.

Dr. Amy Edwards, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, told local news station Fox 8 that the hospital has seen an increase in asymptomatic cases among children since March.

“Kids experience cough, trouble breathing, fevers, that type of thing. We now screen every single child admitted to Rainbow Babies, regardless of their reason for admission,” said Edwards.

Edwards warned parents to remain diligent amid the ongoing pandemic, especially when making decisions about child care, summer camp and eventually sending their children back to school.

“My advice is quite simple. Keep it outside. Keep it small and keep your mask on,” she added of summer activities.

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MIS-C typically causes inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. MIS-C can also cause persistent fever, rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea, among other symptoms such as a red tongue and eyes.

The news comes after a study found that MIS-C is indeed a new condition, with researchers in a paper published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association identifying the main symptoms and clinical markers.