(Updated) 3 children hospitalised with covid19

Three children have been hospitalised after contracting covid19.

On Saturday at the covid19 press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Dr Michelle Trotman, head of thoracic care at the Caura Hospital, announced that the children were at Couva Hospital suffering from multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

She said they were doing well but various tests were conducted and they “have involvement of the heart.”

“I bring it up to highlight the fact that this disease is A, with us in the adult population, and in the paediatric population. And in the paediatric population, now causing in-hospital stay, which is relatively new to us.”

She encouraged parents to keep their children from getting covid19 as much as possible by adhering to the new normal.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram added that because TT was in the community spread phase, covid19 could be contracted anywhere. It was therefore important to limit contact with people outside the family bubble.

He said children with asthma, obesity and chronic conditions such as diabetes would be more susceptible to the effects of covid19 but no particular risk factor was determined.

“Once a child gets covid19, as far as we know so far, there isn’t necessarily a group of risk factors that will make you have MIS-C as Dr Trotman described, as opposed to any other child.”

In addition, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said, “What is coming out of all the data now is that young children, especially school-aged children, and young adults between the ages of 15 to 29 to 40, are now the new super spreaders. These are the populations that are spreading the virus more and more. And more importantly, taking it home where the elderly are going to be at the brunt of that.”

Trotman also expressed concern over people’s behaviour at mall food courts as they were not sanitising properly. She said people should take personal responsibility for their health and walk with their sanitisers and tissues, and clean up after themselves.

This story has been updated with additional details. The original story is published below.

Three children have been hospitalised after contracting covid19.

On Saturday at the covid19 press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Dr Michelle Trotman, head of thoracic care at the Caura Hospital, announced that the children were at Couva Hospital suffering from multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

She said they were doing well but various tests were conducted and they “have involvement of the heart.”

“I bring it up to highlight the fact that this disease is A, with us in the adult population, and in the paediatric population. And in the paediatric population, now causing in-hospital stay, which is relatively new to us.”

She encouraged parents to keep their children from getting covid19 as much as possible by adhering to the new normal.