A Case Series of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in 3 Febrile Infants in New York

Abstract

We describe 3 febrile infants <2 months of age admitted to a large tertiary care children’s hospital in New York and subsequently found to be infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. All 3 patients presented with fever, feeding difficulty, lymphopenia, and thrombocytosis on laboratory evaluation. Two of the 3 patients were found to have neutropenia, and 2 had known exposures to sick contacts. In this case series, we describe 3 of the youngest patients to be reported with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in the United States.

Comparison of Clinical and Epidemiologic Characteristics of Young Febrile Infants with and without Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 Infection

“…6 Since then, a number of case reports and small series describing infants less than 2 months of age have been published, most reporting mild disease, with many infants coming to medical attention due to fever, lethargy and poor feeding, but without respiratory manifestations as seen in adult patients. 7,8,9,10,11,12,13 The largest case series to date describes 18 infants younger than 90 days of age who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, 14 of whom were febrile. 9 The objective of this study was to compare the clinical and demographic characteristics and hospital course of febrile infants who presented to Cohen Children's Medical Center (CCMC) during March and April of 2020, the time period of peak COVID-19 incidence in our region, to febrile infants treated in CCMC during March and April of previous years.…”

“…Febrile infants were also categorized based on their SARS-CoV-2 status: 1 Sixteen of the SARS-CoV-2 infected infants were reported in previous studies. 13,14 This study was approved by the Northwell Health Institutional Review Board.…”

Young Children Presenting With Fever and Rash in the Midst of SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in New York

“…10 Last, a case series of infants with MIS-C demonstrated that respiratory manifestations were less prominent, but more vague symptoms, such as irritability and poor feeding, were more frequently encountered when compared with toddlers. 11 All of these cohorts have brought attention to MIS-C, and the call for early recognition and management.…”

Will prenatal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 define a birth cohort with accelerated aging in the century ahead?

“…Horizontal spread of the disease to neonates from family members or other household contacts occurs and is generally mild. 36 Ongoing/future studies The COVID-19 cohort provides a natural experiment to examine the effects of maternal viral infection while infants were in utero. Such effects may span the lifecycle of these babies; during this time it may be possible to intervene to prevent later life problems.…”