LA County Reports First Child Coronavirus Death Tied to MIS-C
A child, who was receiving treatment at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), has died from MIS-C, a multisystem inflammatory illness linked to the coronavirus.
According to an ABC 7 report, CHLA public relations officer Lauren Song said the child had a "complex pre-existing cardiac condition" and died from MIS-C complications. Further details about the child's death were not released.
It was the first MIS-C death reported in Los Angeles and the first child's death tied to COVID-19 in the country.
It also appeared to be the first one in California, although no other deaths had been recorded in the state's database.
Hundreds of Children Diagnosed with MIS-C in California
According to the Los Angeles Times, at least 145 children were diagnosed with MIS-C in all of California, as per the state's Department of Public Health.
In CHLA alone, at least 32 patients were treated for the illness, with ages ranging from four months old to 17 years old.
The 31 other patients had been successfully treated and discharged from the medical center.
A report from CBS Los Angeles said there were at least 43 MIS-C cases in the entire Los Angeles County, with nearly half of the patients going into intensive care.
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About 26 percent of the patients are under the age of five, 29 percent are five to 11 years old, and 37 percent are between 12 and 20 years old.
Alarmingly, Latino children accounted for 72 percent of the reported cases, though no other deaths have been reported.
In the U.S., there were about 244 deaths linked to MIS-C among some 1,300 reported cases of the disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average age of MIS-C patients was eight, but people as old as 20 can still get infected.
Almost all of these patients tested positive for the coronavirus, while some were in contact with a COVID-19 patient.
Uptick in MIS-C Expected with COVID-19 Surge
Health experts are still puzzled by the link between COVID-19 and MIS-C, but they are sure that coronavirus infections affect the rise of MIS-C cases in an area.
The massive surge in cases across California led to shattering records in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. MIS-C cases will also likely follow.
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"With the number of cases we're seeing in Los Angeles now, I do expect to see more children with MIS-C coming into the hospital in the next few weeks," said CHLA pediatric cardiologist Dr. Jackie Szmuszkovicz.
Experts warned parents to get their children checked in case they think they have the said syndrome.
MIS-C is a rare illness, but a serious and potentially deadly one. It can cause the inflammation of a person's heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal organs. All these could lead to some life-long health impacts.
Children typically start developing symptoms of the disease about two to four weeks after exposure to the coronavirus. With most children being asymptomatic carriers of the virus, patients often come to hospitals in shock.
"With COVID-19 numbers at critical levels, it's crucial that families exercise caution and remain vigilant," CHLA said in a statement.
"Length of stay is going to be shorter if we can get the inflammation under control earlier," said Szmuszkovicz, who also warned parents not to delay care for their children if they start to feel ill.
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