[cbsks]

Here's the full quote: "We now see this multi-system, inflammatory condition can be fatal for kids, who average 8 years old. Almost 2 percent of the kids diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States have died from it, and the majority of them wind up in an ICU in a hospital. We see it in some adults. It’s debilitating, not requiring hospitalization, but they have difficulty breathing and joint aches—which are really telling—chest pain, and other symptoms that affect brain function."

It looks like a typo. It should say "Almost 2 percent of the kids diagnosed with MIS-C in the United States have died from it"

Edit: I just realized the first comment in the article has exactly the same suggestion

[mdorazio]

Good catch. The next question is what percentage of kids contract MIS-C as a result of COVID? Based on the <18 death toll reported so far, it seems like it must be a small percentage.

Edit: Answering my own question with a quick reading of [1]. 186 patients identified total, if I'm reading correctly. This is a tiny number. 2% of that would be 4 kids.

[1] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2021680

[cbsks]

"As of 8/6/2020, CDC has received reports of 570 confirmed cases of MIS-C and 10 deaths in 40 states and Washington, DC."

"99% of cases (565) tested positive for SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The remaining 1% were around someone with COVID-19."

https://www.cdc.gov/mis-c/cases/index.html

[mdorazio]

Thanks, the first study I linked had only looked at 26 states. This is still a very small number considering the total number of likely cases of COVID in the <18 demographic.

[s1artibartfast]

Thanks, so the chance is roughly 500/5,000,000 among individuals with a positive covid test.

[cbsks]

MIS-C only affects children so the denominator is less than 5,000,000. But your point still stands, it seems to be relatively rare.