Children hospitalized for COVID-19 during first winter of the pandemic in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Raiden, S.; Cairoli, H.; Potasnik, J.; Di Lalla, S.; Chiolo, M. J.; Torres, F. A.; Dominguez, P.; Ferrero, F.

Background: Although there are reports on COVID-19 in pediatrics, it is possible that the characteristics of each population, their health systems and how they faced the pandemic made the disease show distinctive features in different countries. We aimed to describe the characteristics of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in a tertiary pediatric hospital in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Methods: Descriptive study, including all patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in a tertiary pediatric hospital, from 04/26/2020 to 10/31/2020. Demographic, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the patients are described. Results: In the studied period 578 children and adolescents were hospitalized for COVID-19. The median age was 4.2 years and 83% had a history of close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. Regarding severity, 30.8% were asymptomatic, 60.4% mild, 7.4% moderate, and 1.4% severe. Among those with symptoms, the most frequent was fever, followed by sore throat and cough. Conclusion: We reported 578 cases of children and adolescents hospitalized for COVID-19, most of them showed a mild or asymptomatic condition.