This multi-center point prevalence study evaluated children who were diagnosed as having coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). On February 2nd, 2022, inpatients and outpatients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were included in the study from 12 cities and 24 centers in Turkey. Of 8605 patients on February 2nd, 2022, in participating centers, 706 (8.2%) had COVID-19. The median age of the 706 patients was 92.50 months, 53.4% were female, and 76.7% were inpatients. The three most common symptoms of the patients with COVID-19 were fever (56.6%), cough (41.3%), and fatigue (27.5%). The three most common underlying chronic diseases (UCDs) were asthma (3.4%), neurologic disorders (3.3%), and obesity (2.6%). The SARS-CoV-2-related pneumoniae rate was 10.7%. The COVID-19 vaccination rate was 12.5% in all patients. Among patients aged over 12 years with access to the vaccine given by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health, the vaccination rate was 38.7%. Patients with UCDs presented with dyspnea and pneumoniae more frequently than those without UCDs (
p
< 0.001 for both). The rates of fever, diarrhea, and pneumoniae were higher in patients without COVID-19 vaccinations (
p
= 0.001,
p
= 0.012, and
p
= 0.027).
Conclusion
: To lessen the effects of the disease, all eligible children should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The illness may specifically endanger children with UCDs.
What is Known:
• Children with COVID-19 mainly present with fever and cough, as in adults.
• COVID-19 may specifically threaten children with underlying chronic diseases.
What is New:
• Children with obesity have a higher vaccination rate against COVID-19 than children without obesity.
• Among unvaccinated children, fever and pneumoniae might be seen at a higher ratio than among vaccinated children.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.