Children have an extremely low risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID-19, suggests a new analysis of data.

Data from the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in England indicates that 25 individuals below the age of 18 died from COVID. While those having several chronic illnesses and neuro-disabilities had the highest risk, the overall risk remained low.

Investigators assessed England′s public health data and noted that most of the young people who died of COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. About 15 of them were suffering from life-limiting or underlying conditions, with 13 having complex neuro-disabilities. Six had no underlying conditions over the previous five years; however, the researchers caution that some illnesses might have been missed. An additional 36 children had a positive COVID test at the time of their death but they died due to other causes… (BBC, July 9, 2021)