CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Some children are experiencing serious complications related to COVID-19 known as MIS-C.
Although rare, it has already sent hundreds of kids to the hospital.
Children being treated for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome, or MIS-C, can develop a high fever, skin rash, inflammation of the heart and liver, and bloodshot eyes.
Dr. Jaime Fergie with Drischoll Children's Hospital said it usually affects children around their pre-teen and teenage years, but there are exceptions.
As of Friday, 418 children in Texas were sent to the hospital, and 279 were later admitted to the ICU.
So far, four children have died.
"So most of these children end up in hospital, many of them need to go to intensive care unit," Fergie said. "Now, the good news is that everybody we have had here we have the medication to control the inflammation, that's what we do. We control the inflammation with a variety of anti inflammatory agents. But it is a very scary complication of COVID."
Fergie adds that he feels that since there aren't as many COVID-19 cases in the community now, that this is a good opportunity to prepare if there should be a new wave of cases.
"We're in a very good position right now, in terms of number of cases. We're doing extremely well here in Corpus Christi, in Texas, in the country, but we don't know what's going to happen in the future," Fergie said. "So if your child is not vaccinated, and is five years of age or older, go ahead and get him vaccinated just to prepare just in case, because it can happen. And this is a complication. This is another reason that people should consider having their children vaccinated against COVID."
Clinical trials are still being conducted on administering a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccination to children under the age of five.
Fergie said children this young are given a very small dose in order for it to be safe.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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