Tuesday January 26, 2021 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., editor | Island Social Trends
There have now been six diagnosed cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children in BC — as being directly associated with COVID-19 infection (or known exposure), as reported by Dr Henry yesterday. Three were girls and three were boys, in the age range of 1 to 15 years.
According to the Mayo Clinic, most children who become infected with the COVID-19 virus have only a mild illness. “But in children who go on to develop MIS-C, some organs and tissues — such as the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin or eyes — become severely inflamed. Signs and symptoms depend on which areas of the body are affected.”
“They have all recovered fully or are recovering,” said Dr Henry during her media briefing session.
The form used by doctors in BC to report MIS-C indicates the significant range of symptoms and depth of inquiry to produce a confirmed result.
Everyone with COVID-19 is monitored for MIS-C (or inflammation related to the COVID infection), Dr Henry said yesterday.
As well, Dr Henry reported that there have been 19 cases of inflammatory conditions described as Kowasaki’s, which are under investigation in BC. The affected children are up to age 17 years. None of those are associated with COVID-19, Dr Henry said.
Children infected with COVID-19:
As at January 26, there have been 2,726 children under the age of 10 infected with COVID-19 in BC (pandemic to date).
In the age range of 10 to 19 years, there have been 5,985 cases of test-positive COVID-19 in BC (pandemic to date).
In Island Health the numbers are 96 children under the age of 10, and 153 kids and teens ages 10 to 19 years who have tested positive for COVID-19 (pandemic to date).
BC’s top doctor continues to insist that schools are a “controlled environment”, if protocols are being followed (including cohort sizes and management). To date in BC, masks have not been made mandatory for use in schools.
New strains:
The COVID-19 variant strains known as the UK variant (B117) and the South African variant (B1351) have been found in testing the BC CDC — five cases and three cases, respectively.
The B117 infections were found to be related to travel or close contact with someone who had travelled. The B1351 infections were apparently not related to travel, which means they have happened due to community spread.
That worries Dr Henry, adding once again that BC has “plateaued” at 500 daily cases (the peak was in mid-November, but also high again earlier this month).
Long-haulers:
So far, the BC Centre for Disease Control does not present a tally for ‘long-haulers’ (people who are considered “recovered” but who continue to have health problems due to the COVID-19 infection).
There are very likely going to long-term health impacts and associated health-care costs in BC and across Canada for years to come, particularly affecting working-age adults which has a spinoff impact on the economy.
According to the Mayo Clinic, continuing impacts from COVID-19 infection include damage to lungs, heart and brain. This is primarily due to damage of blood vessels within those organs.
