Over 5000 children infected with COVID -19 since beginning of pandemic

Over 5000 children infected with COVID -19 since beginning of pandemic – Health Minister

Oct 29, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony said that a total of 5,594 children have tested positive for COVID-19 in Guyana since the beginning of the pandemic.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony administers a COVID-19 immunization shot to a child.

Minister Anthony made this announcement at a forum on Sunday while speaking on Guyana’s efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus. Dr. Anthony noted that positive results for children were made mainly as a result of PCR tests.
The Health Minister explained that, “this is a worrying situation because of the long term health risk of COVID-19 called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C), which is likely to affect children infected by the virus.”
MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have gotten better with medical care.
Minister Anthony explained that “scientists are still learning about what causes MIS-C and therefore we should be cautious”. While Guyana has not yet confirmed a case of MIS-C, Dr. Anthony said that the cases with children are being closely monitored for any developments.
“We are seeing persons or children testing positive. Because I think for some people, it’s a myth that children are not going to test positive and things like that. That’s far from the truth; MIS in children is something that was first observed in Europe, and since then pediatricians around the world have been asked to keep a close eye on this. So, when you see children who test positive for COVID or even if they have a history of COVID, the idea is to look for the signs and symptoms of MIS,” he said.
Last July, Minister Anthony reported a worrying trend in the hospitals, where children are being hospitalised with a more severe form of the virus.
Back then, it was reported that over 1500 children between the ages of one-month to four years have contracted the virus. Of that figure, some 523 children between the ages of five to nine years tested positive, with 273 of them boys, and 251 being girls.
It was also noted, that children between 10 to 14 years represent the largest grouping of young people that have been infected with the disease. Some 756 tested positive, with 342 being boys, while 414 were girls.
While reiterating that it is a disturbing trend, the Minister had urged parents to ensure their children follow all the COVID-19 guidelines, which is to ensure that they practice good hand hygiene and maintain the six feet physical distancing, to reduce the chances of them contracting the virus.
Several children have since died of COVID-19, including a seven-month-old boy who succumbed to complications because of the infection in September.
As it stands, the Ministry of Health has rolled out an immunization programme under which over 26,000 children have received their first shot of the Pfizer vaccine and over 17,000 have received their second.

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