Coronavirus

Opinion: The Novel Coronavirus and its Impact on Children

Published

4 years ago

June 3, 2020

There are growing fears that COVID-19 is now linked to a syndrome in children who may be vulnerable to the virus and can become infected with minor irritants such as a rash, to more serious health issues such as cardiac arrest.

It’s called Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).

According to HealthyChildren.org, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention identified a correlation between COVID-19 and MIS-C as up to half did not test positive for the virus. Doctors and scientists around the world are working to understand the syndrome and how best to treat it.

Parents should be aware that most children are not affected by the coronavirus, and reports of children who become seriously ill are rare and unusual cases. Presently, the best thing parents can do to protect their child is to call their pediatrician if they have any concerns about their child’s health.

Some of the symptoms to look for in MIS-C are: a fever lasting more than 24 hours; abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting; rash or changes in skin color; trouble breathing; and mental confusion or excessively sleepy. MIS-C affects older children, median age 9 to 11.

Dr. Omoniyi Omotoso, Lifelong Pediatrics clinical lead in Richmond, Calif. noted that there have been cases in Europe, and this past month, case reports in New York City of MIS-C during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “MIS-C is a severe inflammatory process that overwhelms the child’s body leading to shock and often affecting the heart and other organs,” said Omotoso.

“Fortunately, with the strict adherence to the Shelter-in-Place policy in the Bay Area, we have flattened the curve at present and seen few cases of symptomatic pediatric (COVID-19) cases. And not surprisingly, MIS-C has been rare thus far with one confirmed case per California Public Health Dept.”

“Parents should seek medical attention if their child has these red flags such as persistent fever lasting four to five days, breathing difficulty, or rashes associated with swelling of hands and/or feet.”

MIS-C has been compared to another rare childhood condition called Kawasaki disease because it shares some of the same symptoms. Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in infants and young children under the age of five.

The condition causes inflammation in the blood vessels, and the symptoms can be severe. In addition to several days of fever, children with Kawasaki disease may develop symptoms such as rash, swollen neck glands, swollen hands and feet, and red eyes, lips and tongue.

Kawasaki disease is not contagious. It does not spread among family members or children in child care centers. The disease occurs more frequently in children of Asian or Pacific Island ancestry. However, it can affect people in all racial and ethnic groups.

While MIS-C may sound frightening, the American Academy of Pediatrics reminds parents that the condition is still very rare. It is important, however, to call your pediatrician with any questions or concerns about your child. Always contact your pediatrician’s office for checkups, vaccines, or if your child is sick.

Children are presenting with MIS-C four to six weeks after peak COVID-19 infection rates. So, doctors say the best thing you can do for your family is to continue following recommendations about social distancing, masks, and hygiene, to avoid contracting COVID-19 in the first place.

Clifford L. Williams

Posts by Clifford L. Williams

Bay Area

Authorities Warn: There’s a COVID Surge in California

According to data estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the coronavirus in California’s wastewater has spiked for eight consecutive weeks. Hospitalizations and emergency room visits have also increased since the rise of the new subvariants. Over the last month, Los Angeles County experienced an average of 389 hospital patients per day that tested positive for the coronavirus. The FLiRT subvariants such as KP.3.1.1. Made up over 2% of coronavirus samples nationwide, an increase of more than 7% last month.

Published

3 months ago

August 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo provided by California Black Media.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California is experiencing a COVID-19 surge this summer, experts warn, as numbers of infections increased for the third month this year.

State public health authorities attribute the summer COVID surge to more infectious subvariants that have emerged as the coronavirus evolves.

Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious disease at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, stated that subvariants of COVID-19 called FLiRT increased in recent months, particularly one named KP.3.1.1 that has become the most common strain in the country.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco, said that the subvariant KP.3.1.1 seems most adept at transmission.

“The subvariant is the one that people think will continue to take over, not only in the United States, but … around the world,” Chin-Hong said.

The majority of the people who tested positive for COVID-19 complained of a sore throat and a heavy cough. Risk factors that can increase the illness include age, underlying health issues, and vaccine dosage.

Health experts stated that the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has increased in Northern California. However, people are having a hard time getting the vaccine due to the increasing number of cases.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

California Black Media

Gov. Newsom and Gov. DeSantis Go Head-to-Head in Nationally Televised Debate

Conservative Fox News personality Sean Hannity moderated the duel, during which the TV pundit, more than once, injected his opinion, and appeared to be providing subtle assists to DeSantis. As the debate progressed, it was clear that opinions about each topic discussed was representative of the philosophical and political chasm that divides liberal and conservative America, and a preview of campaign mudslinging that is bound to intensify as the 2024 presidential campaign ensues.

Published

12 months ago

December 10, 2023

Oakland Post

The debate between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Ron DeSantis was moderated by Fox News personality Sean Hannity. California Black Media image.

By California Black Media

In an intense, 95-minute-plus televised faceoff between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Nov. 30, the men traded jabs and putdowns, defended their respective gubernatorial records, disagreed sharply on how to solve the country’s most pressing problems, and expressed clashing views on the performance of the Biden-Harris administration.

Conservative Fox News personality Sean Hannity moderated the duel, during which the TV pundit, more than once, injected his opinion, and appeared to be providing subtle assists to DeSantis.

As the debate progressed, it was clear that opinions about each topic discussed was representative of the philosophical and political chasm that divides liberal and conservative America, and a preview of campaign mudslinging that is bound to intensify as the 2024 presidential campaign ensues.

“I’ll tell you why I’m here,” Newsom said. “I’m here to tell the truth about the Biden-Harris record and also compare and contrast Ron DeSantis’ record and the Republican Party’s record” with that of California.

DeSantis blasted Newsom’s management of the COVID-19 crisis and criticized Newsom for prevalent crime, homelessness and deteriorating social conditions in California cities.

“You have the freedom to defecate in public in California,” DeSantis said. “You have the freedom to pitch a tent on Sunset Boulevard. You have the freedom to create a homeless encampment under a freeway and even light it on fire. They’re not the freedoms our founding fathers envisioned.”

Newsom took a jab at DeSantis’ presidential candidacy, predicting that the Florida Governor would be endorsing GOP frontrunner Donald Trump soon.

“There’s one thing we have in common,” Newsom said. “Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

BayCityNews

FDA Updates Approval of Pfizer Booster Vaccine for Children Under 5

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its approval Tuesday of the Pfizer-BioNTech booster vaccine, making it available to some children under age 5. Before this update, children under 5 were not eligible for COVID-19 booster shots. Instead, they received three doses of the regular vaccine.

Published

2 years ago

March 22, 2023

Oakland Post

As of December 2022, children age 4 and younger who have not been vaccinated receive the omicron variant-specific booster vaccine as the third dose in their primary vaccine series, following two doses of the original Pfizer vaccine.

By Eli Walsh
Bay City News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its approval Tuesday of the Pfizer-BioNTech booster vaccine, making it available to some children under age 5.

Before this update, children under 5 were not eligible for COVID-19 booster shots. Instead, they received three doses of the regular vaccine.

However, children in that age range who completed their initial vaccination series before December 2022 only received three doses of the original Pfizer vaccine, and are less protected against more infectious variants of the virus as a result.

FDA officials updated the vaccine’s emergency use authorization Tuesday to allow those children who only received the original Pfizer COVID vaccine to receive one dose of the bivalent booster if it has been at least two months since they completed their initial series.

Other children under age 5 are not eligible for the booster, although everyone age 5 and up is eligible for a booster.

“Currently available data show that vaccination remains the best defense against severe disease, hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19 across all age groups, and we encourage all eligible individuals to make sure that their vaccinations are up to date with a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

Clinical data has found that both the original Pfizer vaccine and the booster vaccine that targets the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are safe for everyone aged 6 months and up and effective at preventing the worst outcomes of COVID infection, including serious illness and death.

COVID vaccines are available at primary care providers, retail pharmacies and some facilities operated by local health departments.

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