Mike West holds daughter Cozette West during a press conference about how biking has become their family’s primary mode of transportation outside of the Bicycle Collective in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Data shows there has been an increase in walking and biking during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Some of the children who’ve been infected with COVID-19 in Utah and surrounding regions are later going to the hospital with severe symptoms associated with MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
As of last week, officials from Intermountain Healthcare said they’ve seen 17 cases of MIS-C in their hospitals. And they say they are anticipating more such cases in the coming weeks.
Some of the common symptoms of MIS-C include fever, rash, and low blood pressure. On average, children with MIS-C spend six days in the hospital and five days in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Madelyn Dayton, a 12-year-old girl from southwest Wyoming, was admitted to an ICU unit last month.
“I woke up and I had a really bad headache, and, just, body aches all over,” Madelyn said in a Zoom conference call between Intermountain and Utah media outlets including KSL Newsradio.
“Two days later I couldn’t walk and I wouldn’t eat.”
According to the Utah government’s coronavirus web page, MIS-C is a condition that can inflame different areas of the body, including the cardiovascular system, kidneys, brain, or the gastrointestinal system.
According to the website, while MIS-C can be deadly, most children diagnosed with the condition have recovered with medical care.
COVID-19 coronavirus is transmitted from person to person. It is a virus that is similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:
Utah’s Coronavirus Information
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Utah Coronavirus Information Line – 1-800-456-7707
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
