COVID-19 SEVERITY AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES AMONG THE PEDIATRIC AGE GROUP

Dr. Meghna Pandey, Dr. Shweta Sharma*, Dr. Dinesh Yadav and Dr. Vinod Kapoor

ABSTRACT

In December 2019, novel coronavirus infected pneumonia (NCIP) occurred in Wuhan, China. Since then it has become a global health crisis. As of 15th May, 2020, the coronavirus disease had resulted in > 4 million confirmed Coronavirus disease -19 (COVID-19) cases. Pediatric coronavirus has shown a relatively milder course when compared to adults. Though children may withstand the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic, they have been proven to be a major link in the transmission of this infection. The objective of this article was to provide a comprehensive review on the epidemiological aspect of COVID-19 in children. It additionally considers the reasons for the uneventful course of this infection in children along with providing a summary of latest pharmacological therapies available. More than 200 clinical trials for COVID-19 have been carried out on a variety of drugs. However as of date, there are no randomized clinical trial data to guide treatment of children with life-threatening COVID-19 symptoms. With no clear treatment guidelines for children, clinicians are left in the difficult scenario of deciding which treatment strategy to adhere to. Understanding the gravity of this current situation, the article provides a detailed analysis of the various experimental therapies available for COVID-19 patients, emphasizing on their usefulness in the pediatric age population.

Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Pediatric coronavirus, Management, Treatment strategies.