ADVERTISEMENT
Over 500 children infected with COVID-19; 10 died --- DOH
By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News More than 500 patients, aged 18 years and below, have so far contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 10 of which have died already, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.
During the virtual meeting of the House Committee on Welfare of Children, Dr. Ferchito Avelino, director of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau, said that 590 children have been infected with COVID-19 since May 12, which comprises 5% of the total number of cases nationwide.
The median age of those infected children is 11, while 55% of them are female. The 15 to less than 19 years old age group is the most affected age group.
The regions of Central Visayas, National Capital Region, and Calabarzon have the highest number of COVID-19 cases among children, Avelino said, with 262, 233, and 52, respectively.
Of the 590 cases, 546 are active and 35 have recovered. Among the active cases, 38 are asymptomatic, 506 have mild symptoms, one has severe symptoms, and another one is in critical condition.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ten children have so far died from COVID-19 infection, six of them are males, and four have a history of co-morbidity or other illnesses such as cerebral palsy, acute gastroenteritis, asthma, and tuberculosis.
Dr. Anthony Calibo, a medical specialist at the DOH's Children's Health Development Division, advised against exposing children to unnecessary travel and bringing them to hospitals if it is not for an emergency situation.
"There are circumstances affecting the consult of families bringing their children to their respective healthcare provider. And this will require different modes of consultation through telemedicine if possible, and the other one is if this can also be done through home visits," he said.
Calibo said the DOH is preparing a memorandum identifying the conditions where hospital medication may still be continued despite the COVID-19 crisis.
"For example if there are children who are on hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, or those that are scheduled for their regular blood transfusion or even scheduled chemotherapy, these are still allowed because discontinuing these interventions may even result to complications of these children," he said.
"Likewise, we have also highlighted several emergency conditions that will really be important for the barangay health emergency response team to provide assistance to these families. There is a list that has been enumerated already," he added.
As of May 13, a total of 11,618 cases of COVID-19 cases have been reported in the Philippines with 772 deaths and 2,251 recoveries.—AOL/BM, GMA News