Clinical characteristics of infants with Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2
in Henan, 2022
Abstract
Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of Covid-19 in
infants during the Omicron variant outbreak in Henan, 2022. Methods: We
retrospectively analyzed the clinical data, epidemiological exposure,
and maternal vaccination status of infants infected with Omicron variant
admitted to Zhengzhou First People’s Hospital from October 20, 2022 to
December 15, 2022. Results: We admitted 21 infants (12 males and 9
females). All had epidemiological exposure in household or nursing
institution settings. The most common respiratory manifestations were
fever (19 cases), cough (11 cases), and nasal congestion (8 cases). The
most frequent gastrointestinal manifestations were anorexia and diarrhea
(8 cases each) and vomiting (4 cases). Of the 12 infants who underwent
complete blood count, 8 had normal white blood cell counts and 3 had
leukopenia. C-reactive protein was normal in 11 cases and mildly
elevated in 1 case. Chest CT showed increased lung markings in 7 cases,
focal consolidation in 6 cases each, and ground-glass opacities in 5
cases. The mean time to negative conversion was 6.7 days. All 21 infants
recovered and were discharged after symptomatic treatment, with a mean
length of stay of 11.5 days. Two weeks after discharge, none had
recurrence or retested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. We found no
correlations between maternal vaccination status and clinical symptoms
or SARS-CoV-2 RNA negative conversion time (P>0.05).
Conclusion: All Covid-19 infants had epidemiological exposure in
household or nursing institution settings. They mostly had mild
infection with respiratory and/or gastrointestinal symptoms and a good
short-term prognosis.