Epidemiology, clinical characteristics and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children: A narrative review

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions of people around the world, with most cases recorded among adults. The cases reported among children have been acknowledged to be minimal in comparison to adults. Nevertheless, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been reported to affect children of all ages, including newborns. The symptoms among children have also been identified to be similar to those observed among adults, although paediatric patients have been noted to display a spectrum of clinical features ranging from asymptomatic to moderate symptoms. Despite ample publications on the ongoing pandemic, the literature is only replete with guidelines on treating SARS-CoV-2 infection among older people. In this narrative review, comprehensive updates on the infection in children have been discussed. The latest information on the spread of the disease among children around the world, the clinical features observed among the paediatric population, as well as recommended pharmaceutical treatments of COVID-19 among this special group of patients have been covered. Further, expert consensus statements regarding the management of this highly contagious disease among pregnant women and neonates have been discussed. It is believed that this comprehensive review will provide updated information on the epidemiology and clinical features of the ongoing pandemic among paediatric patients. Additionally, the guidelines for handling SARS-CoV-2 among pregnant women and children, as reviewed in this article, are anticipated to be useful to frontline clinicians battling this fatal disease around the globe.