A 1-year-old boy has become the latest child to die of COVID-19 complications in Taiwan, and three new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been recorded, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.
The 1-year-old had a congenital neurological disorder and required long-term oxygen support. On June 30, he began having symptoms including shortness of breath, fever, vomiting, lethargy, and reduced food intake, and was taken to the hospital the next day.
When he was in the hospital, however, his heart suddenly stopped beating and he passed away, said Lo Yi-chun (???), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division.
His death was attributed to COVID-19 and his neurological disorder, Lo said.
Also on Wednesday, Taiwan recorded three new cases of MIS-C in children aged 8 months, 2 years, and 12 years, respectively, with no chronic illnesses.
The three children all tested positive for COVID-19 in early June, but developed symptoms including diarrhea, bloodshot eyes, stomachache, and swollen nymph nodes near the end of the mouth, Lo said.
They were admitted to hospitals between June 29 and July 2 and are still receiving treatment, Lo said.
To date, 88 children under 13 years old in Taiwan have developed severe illnesses after contracting COVID-19, of whom 22 have passed away.
Of the 3,899,872 domestic cases reported in Taiwan this year, 7,423 have been classified as severe infections and 9,679 as moderate, accounting for 0.19 percent and 0.25 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data as of July 5.
In all other cases, the infected individuals were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, CECC data showed.
Taiwan has recorded 3,964,188 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020 and 7,223 deaths from the disease.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel