Coronavirus disease‐19 deaths among children and adolescents in an area of Northeast, Brazil: why so many?

de Siqueira Alves Lopes, Aline; Fontes Vieira, Sarah Cristina; Lima Santos Porto, Roseane; Santana Santos, Victor; Fontes Leite, Debora Cristina; Eduardo Cuevas, Luis; Queiroz Gurgel, Ricardo

OBJECTIVE: To describe COVID‐19 deaths among children and adolescents in Sergipe, Brazil. METHODS: Ecological study of all COVID‐19 reported cases and deaths occurring in children and adolescents < 19 years of age in Sergipe reported by the health surveillance and mortality information systems of Sergipe’s Health Secretary and hospital records. RESULTS: Of 37 deaths of children < 19 years old were reported up to 30 September 2020, corresponding to 4.87 deaths for 100 000 population < 19 years old. Most deaths occurred among infants (44.1/100 000), and this age group had the highest case fatality rate (15.3 %). Most children had comorbidities such as chronic neurological diseases (n = 7; 19%) and prematurity (n = 4; 11%). Most children who died (n = 18; 49%) were not admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). CONCLUSION: COVID‐19 mortality in children and adolescents in Sergipe was higher than in other Brazilian states and in high‐income countries. A large proportion of the deaths occurred among children with comorbidities and a minority of children were admitted to ICU, reflecting the limited provision of such beds in the State. Newborns and infants are a high‐risk group that must have priority in health public policy.