COVID-19 Deaths Among People Under Age 21 Detailed

By Amy Orciari Herman

NEJM Journal Watch

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

Three quarters of SARS-CoV-2-related deaths in U.S. youth under age 21 occurred among those with underlying health conditions, an MMWR study finds.

CDC researchers identified 121 deaths related to COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MISC) in people under 21 across the U.S. from February through July. Among the other findings:

• Some 70% of the deaths were in those aged 10 through 20 years, 20% were in children aged 1 through 9, and 10% occurred in those under 1 year.
• Latino and Black youth were disproportionately affected, accounting for 74% of deaths.
• The most common underlying conditions were chronic lung disease (mostly asthma), obesity, neurologic/developmental conditions, and cardiovascular conditions.
• Some 65% of deaths occurred in the hospital, 19% in the emergency department, and 13% at home.

The researchers call for “clear, consistent, and developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate COVID-19 prevention messages” for young people, particularly those at increased risk.