Evaluation of possible COVID-19 reinfection in children: A multicenter clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Although it was originally unknown whether there would be cases of reinfection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as seen with other coronaviruses, cases of reinfection were reported from various regions recently. However, there is little information about reinfection in children. METHODS: In this study, we aimed to investigate the incidence and clinical findings of reinfection in pediatric patients who had recovered from COVID-19. We retrospectively evaluated all patients under 18 years of age with COVID-19 infection from a total of eight healthcare facilities in Turkey, between March 2020 and July 2021. Possible reinfection was defined as a record of confirmed COVID-19 infection based on positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results at least 3 months apart. RESULTS: A possible reinfection was detected in 11 out of 8840 children, which yielded an incidence of 0.12%. The median duration between two episodes of COVID-19 was 196 (92-483) days. When initial and second episodes were compared, the rates of symptomatic and asymptomatic disease were similar for both, as was the severity of the disease (p = 1.000). Also, there was no significant difference in duration of symptoms (p = 0.498) or in hospitalization rates (p = 1.000). Only one patient died 15 days after PCR positivity, which resulted in a 9.1% mortality rate for cases of reinfection in pediatric patients. CONCLUSION: We observed that children with COVID-19 were less likely to be exposed to reinfection when compared with adults. Although the clinical spectrum of reinfection was mostly similar to the first episode, we reported death of a healthy child during the reinfection.

Lethal encephalitis in a pediatric patient with SARS-CoV-2.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 mostly affects the respiratory system. Some studies have reported neurological disorders associated with SARS-CoV-2. Despite an increase in reported instances, encephalitis caused by COVID-19 infection is still poorly understood. CASE: We reported a rare presentation of SARS-CoV-2 in a 15-year-old patient. He had a fulminant course with encephalitis. He had mild symptoms of a COVID-19 infection five months ago and recovered without any sequel. Despite appropriate treatment, the patient had a devastating course. CONCLUSIONS: This was a severe presentation of SARS-CoV-2 with central nervous system manifestations.