Coronavirus updates: CDC warns of dangerous COVID complication for children
New reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control suggest that children may be more susceptible to the coronavirus than previously thought, indicating another potential risk for students going back to school in the fall.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that there are 29 patients under 18 in California suffering from severe responses to COVID-19 that affect multiple areas of the body, known as multi-system inflammatory syndrome.
Although most cases of coronavirus in children are relatively minor, there are increasing numbers of cases that show these severe symptoms.
The inflammatory response, also referred to as MIS-C, can cause inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidney, brain, and other major organs, often resulting in symptoms such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.
Public health officials have received reports of 570 confirmed cases of MIS-C across the country, and a total of 10 deaths in children who developed the condition.
In Sacramento last week, a 10-year-old boy from South Lake Tahoe was admitted to UC Davis Children’s Hospital with symptoms of MIS-C. The Tahoe Daily Tribune reported that Maeson Howard developed a fever and started vomiting, despite his family taking steps to social distance.
The exact cause of MIS-C is unknown, but in most children, it accompanies a coronavirus infection. The CDC says that 1% of children did not test positive for the virus, but were around someone who had COVID-19.
Data glitch impedes CA coronavirus tracking
California’s Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly has identified a server error as the cause behind a statewide coronavirus data debacle.
“Our data system failed, and that failure led to inaccurate case numbers and positivity rates,” Dr. Mark Ghaly said in a Friday news conference. “We apologize. You deserve better. The governor demands better.”
The state’s Reportable Disease Information Exchange, or CalREDIE, started seeing problems of July 25, when a server lost power. Technical responses to the server’s failure ended up slowing things down even further, according to Ghaly.
State officials also failed to promptly renew a certificate that halted flow of data from Quest labs around the same time, meaning another delay in information.
There are still up to 300,000 disease reports awaiting processing, most of which pertain to COVID-19, but the state is working on building a new system to replace CalREDIE, which was not equipped for the workload of a pandemic, Ghaly said.
As a result of the glitch, many counties have been left in the dark with regard to coronavirus case data. Sacramento County officials told The Sacramento Bee that new coronavirus information will not be updated until early next week, when data is expected to be more accurate. The backlog of county cases may not be fully processed until the end of the week.
Local COVID-19 figures
Although data from across the state is still dubious, and many figures may be underreported, the most recent public health reports suggest a downward trend in hospitalizations, possibly indicating a slower spread of infection.
Hospitalization rates are tracked through a system separate from CalREDIE, which means they should still be accurate. A total of 5,746 Californians are currently hospitalized with confirmed cases of coronavirus, 1,868 of whom are being treated in intensive care units.
Compared with mid-to-late June, statewide hospitalizations are substantially lower. Three weeks ago, there were 6,899 patients in hospitals, a number which has gone down by 14%.
The state reported 545,787 total cases of cornavirus on Thursday, when it broke the 10,000 mark in overall COVID-19 deaths. Death rates appear to still be rising. The California Department of Public Health reported a two-week increase in total deaths of 22% for a total f 10,189 as of the last reporting date.
Sacramento County data is roughly in line with statewide trends. According to state data, there are 250 patients hospitalized in the county, and 81 people are in ICUs. The county’s hospitalizations are down from a peak of 281 patients on July 30. There are 93 ICU beds available for the county’s roughly 1.5 million residents.
Although county health officials are hedging their reports with disclaimers that case data is likely underestimated, Friday’s coronavirus update reflected a total of 10,795 reported cases of COVID-19 and 161 deaths. This week, 19 deaths have been reported, and at least seven county residents died over the first three days of the month. Thursday’s update added 300 new cases and Friday’s brought 251 more.
Yolo County health officials have reported a total of 1,721 cases and 43 deaths. On Saturday, 31 new cases were reported. Since last week, 177 new cases have been reported and one death was added to the tally. There are currently 10 patients in county hospitals, seven of whom are in ICUs. The county has four ICU beds remaining, according to state data. The county has seen outbreaks at several long-term care facilities, which account for 118 of the total number of cases and 22 of the deaths.
Woodland’s Stollwood Convalescent Hospital reported an outbreak in April and it is still the most severe outbreak in the county. There, 66 people connected to the facility have been infected with coronavirus and 17 have died.
At Alderson Convalescent Hospital, also in Woodland, 11 residents and nine staff members have been infected. One person from the facility was reported dead this week.
Courtyard Healthcare Center in Davis has reported infections in seven residents and four staff members.
Placer County has reported 2,186 cases and 20 deaths. On Saturday, 87 new cases were reported. Since last week, 274 new cases of coronavirus were reported, along with five more deaths. Officials reported 60 new infections Friday and a death every day Monday through Thursday this week. There are 63 people hospitalized in the county and 10 are being treated in ICUs. The county has 31 ICU beds available.
El Dorado County has reported a total of 729 cases and just one death from COVID-19. Since last week, 92 new cases have been reported by county health officials. There are currently three people in county hospitals and one person being treated in an ICU. The county has six ICU beds available. El Dorado County, despite reporting its first death last month, remains the only county in the greater Sacramento area to have not been placed onto the state’s regional coronavirus watchlist, reflecting its relatively low number of cases.
Sutter County has reported a total of 921 cases and seven deaths. On Friday, officials reported a death. Since last week, 192 more cases were reported. Currently, 17 people are being hospitalized. County health officials reported the highest single-day infections on Wednesday, adding 41 confirmed cases to the total. The last record was set on July 23, when 35 infections were reported.
In neighboring Yuba County, 588 people have been infected and four have died. In the past week, 117 new cases were reported. On Friday, 17 more cases were added. Sixteen people in Yuba County are currently being hospitalized, up from eight in the past week.
Worldwide, more than 19.4 million people have been infected with the coronavirus and over 722,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States accounts for the largest share of infections for any one country, with nearly 5 million cases and 161,000 deaths. Brazil is the next leading nation, with just almost 3 million infections and 99,000 deaths. India has reported just over 2 million total infections and 42,000 deaths.
What is COVID-19? How is the coronavirus spread?
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within 6 feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure.
Most people develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
The Bee’s Sophia Bollag and Tony Bizjak contributed to this story.
