Unvaccinated 16-year-old Israeli teen dies of post-COVID syndrome
| Published date | 09 October 2021 |
| Author | MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN |
| Publication title | Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel) |
cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); });
>
The unvaccinated teenager had been transferred to the hospital's intensive care unit about two weeks ago from Meir Medical Center. He is the first Israeli to die from the rare condition: pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome, also known as PIMS.
His situation had deteriorated, and he was connected to a heart-lung ECMO machine about 10 days ago.
PIMS is still considered rare. Fewer than 100 Israeli children are known to have been diagnosed with post-COVID syndrome, but around half of these cases have been during the Delta wave.
"I think we are seeing a rise in PIMS in recent weeks," Schneider's Dr. Ofer Schiller said following Fayumi's death.
In February, the United Kingdom reported that up to 100 children a week were being hospitalized with the disease.
On Wednesday, a six-month-old baby was hospitalized in critical condition from the same syndrome and was connected to an ECMO machine at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. The baby's condition deteriorated overnight Friday, and the hospital said he was taken into surgery in very serious condition. By Saturday morning, Sheba doctors said they were fighting for the baby's life.
PIMS is a multi-organ infection. Its features are similar to those of Kawasaki disease – an acute and usually self-limiting vasculitis of the medium caliber vessels, which almost exclusively affects children – and toxic shock syndrome, a rare, life-threatening complication of certain types of bacterial infections.
The first symptoms are a high fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. Ultimately, the syndrome can affect the heart, digestive, nervous and respiratory systems. The disease usually occurs a few weeks after being infected with COVID and can occur in children who were either symptomatic or asymptomatic while they had the virus.
Schiller said the hospital shares in the sorrow of the teenager's family.
"I call on everyone to go out and get vaccinated," the doctor said.
Some 7% of Israel's serious and critical COVID-19 cases were vaccinated with three shots of the coronavirus vaccine, according to data released Friday morning by the Health Ministry.
"I cannot say that 7% is a lot," Health Minister Director-General Prof...
To continue reading
Request your trial