Clinical Epidemiology of COVID-19 and MIS-C in Jamaican Children

This study describes the epidemiology, clinical features, and outcomes of COVID-19 and MIS-C among children aged 0 to 12 years presenting to Jamaica's Bustamante Hospital for Children from April 2020 to April 2022. A retrospective review of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases and MIS-C diagnoses identified 435 affected children, most with mild illness, though comorbid asthma and sickle cell disease were associated with severe outcomes. MIS-C accounted for 6.4 percent of cases and required higher levels of intervention, including oxygen therapy, transfusion, and ICU admission, with a mortality rate of 14.3 percent. Overall mortality was low at 0.9 percent, and most children recovered without complications. The findings highlight the distinct clinical patterns and risk factors influencing disease severity in Jamaican children during the pandemic.