Paediatric respiratory reviews
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Sep 2020
ReviewCovid-19 in children: A brief overview after three months experience.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Coronavirus - 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its related Coronavirus Disease - 19 (COVID-19) has become a health emergency worldwide. The medical community has been concerned since the beginning of the outbreak about the potential impact of COVID-19 in children, especially in those with underlying chronic diseases. ⋯ Children show unique features of SARS-CoV-2 involvement that may account for the low rate of infection and death in this age group. The purpose of this review is to summarize the most relevant evidence of COVID-19 in children highlighting similarities and differences with adults.
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COVID-19 is a coronavirus responsible for a global pandemic that started in China in December 2019 and has quickly spread to almost all countries. Approximately 2% of cases are diagnosed in children. There is increasing evidence for transmission by asymptomatic or presymptomatic adults and children. ⋯ Disease is generally mild in children but deaths have been reported. Risk groups for severe disease in children are yet to be delineated. All treatments remain experimental.
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There is a strong consensus globally that a COVID-19 vaccine is likely the most effective approach to sustainably controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. An unprecedented research effort and global coordination has resulted in a rapid development of vaccine candidates and initiation of trials. Here, we review vaccine types, and progress with 10 vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 - currently undergoing early phase human trials. We also consider the many challenges of developing and deploying a new vaccine on a global scale, and recommend caution with respect to our expectations of the timeline that may be ahead.
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There are significant logistical challenges to providing respiratory support devices, beyond simple oxygen flow, when centres run out of supplies or do not have these devices at all, such as in low resource settings. At the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, it was extremely difficult to import medical equipment and supplies, because most countries prohibited the medical industry from selling outside of their own countries. ⋯ Although regulations vary among countries, given the emergency situation, some Regulatory Agencies facilitated expedited procedures. However, laboratory and animal model testing are crucial to minimize the potential risk for patients when treated with a device that may worsen clinical outcome if poorly designed or misused.
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Paediatr Respir Rev · Sep 2020
ReviewEuropean and United Kingdom COVID-19 pandemic experience: The same but different.
The global healthcare landscape has changed dramatically and rapidly in 2020. This has had an impact upon paediatricians and in particular respiratory paediatricians. The effects in Europe, with its mature healthcare system, have been far faster and greater than most authorities anticipated. ⋯ It is likely that this variation has contributed to widely differing outcomes across Europe. Common to all countries was the stark lack of preparations and initial poor co-ordination of responses between levels of government to this unforeseen but not unheralded global health crisis. In this article we highlight the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom.