Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and Pediatric Patients: A Review of Epidemiology, Symptomatology, Laboratory and Imaging Results to Guide the Development of a Management Algorithm

Hasan, Ali; Mehmood, Noormah; Fergie, Jamie

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus two (SARS-CoV 2), is a member of Betacoronaviruses, like the former human coronaviruses SARS coronavirus (SARS-Cov) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) [1] . Human coronaviruses are positive-sense, long (30,000base pairs) single-stranded RNA viruses [2] [3] . COVID-19 was first detected in humans towards the end of 2019 and the first cases were traced back to Wuhan city (Hubei province) in China [1] . The virus appears to spread via human to human transmission in a similar fashion to influenza and several viruses causing upper respiratory infections, i.e., through contact with secretions from infected individuals [1] . There is also concern regarding airborne transmission as well as oro-fecal transmission. The virus predominantly replicates in the respiratory system during the prodromal period, which further contributes to the transmission of the disease as patients may still be harboring the infection in the absence of symptoms [4] . After the initial reports of infection, in the following several weeks, COVID-19 outbreaks were reported in South Korea, Iran, and Italy. This was quickly followed by several other European, Asian, and North and South American countries reporting cases. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020.