key: cord-0972017-wqqfpr4g authors: Yilmaz, Ozge; Gochicoa‐Rangel, Laura; Blau, Hannah; Epaud, Ralph; Lands, Larry C.; Lombardi, Enrico; Moore, Paul E.; Stein, Renato T.; Wong, Gary W. K.; Zar, Heather J. title: Brief report: International perspectives on the pediatric COVID‐19 experience date: 2020-05-01 journal: Pediatr Pulmonol DOI: 10.1002/ppul.24800 sha: b50579c9e6f189254183eeaefab3a07b840c2cff doc_id: 972017 cord_uid: wqqfpr4g The 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) is endangering human health worldwide; scarcity of published pediatric cases and current literature and the absence of evidence‐based guidelines necessitate international sharing of experience and personal communication. On 31 March 2020 the International Committee of the American Thoracic Society Pediatrics Assembly recorded an online podcast, during which pediatric pulmonologists worldwide shared their experience on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) in children. The aim was to share personal experience in organizing pediatric care in different health care settings globally, protecting health care workers, and isolation practices. This manuscript summarizes the common themes of the podcast which centered around three main topics: more benign clinical disease and progression in pediatric cases compared to adults, a strong need for strategies to protect health care workers, and social or economic disparities as a barrier to successful pandemic control. The common themes of the podcast centered around three main topics: more benign clinical disease and progression in pediatric cases compared with adults, a strong need for strategies to protect health care workers, and social or economic disparities as a barrier to successful pandemic control. As depicted in recent articles from China and Korea, pediatric cases constitute a small percentage of the total COVID-19 hospitalized cases worldwide with low mortality being reported in children. [1] [2] [3] Evaluation of the symptomatic and asymptomatic children younger than 16 years of age in Wuhan with known contact with COVID-19 cases found that 12.3% of those tested were confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 infection; pneumonia was the most common diagnosis amongst symptomatic children. 4 Similarly, the Center for Disease Control and prevention in China reported that only 2% of hospitalized cases were younger than 19 years of age; in Korea under 5% of cases were under 19 years of age. 3 The chronic respiratory disease did not appear to be emerging as a risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease; however, long term follow-up is needed to confirm this observation. Lack of information on long term prognosis of asymptomatic children and those with pneumonia should be a research priority. Availability of surgical and N95 masks is an issue, and these should be reserved for use in health care facilities given the global shortages. Homemade cloth masks are appropriate for use by the public. Anxiety, stress, and exhaustion among health care workers are also key concerns. A flexible action plan is important component management. Action plan on quarantine measures, separating health care workers who have contact, and who do not have contact with patients is important. The flexibility of the action plan to move adequate health care workers to the required areas in the hospital will be required during the pandemic. As the epidemic moves from high-income countries to Africa and Latin America, key concerns about access to PPE for HCWs, the ability of health systems to address the burden, the inability to undertake social distancing and frequent hand washing in poor communities, and potential impact on the severity of disease by highly prevalent diseases like TB or HIV are pressing. Further the impact of the epidemic and on lockdowns on economies and on poverty remain critical issues for child health. This report was based on the podcast recorded by the American Thoracic Society. All authors contributed equally so all needs to get credit as first authors. Unique epidemiological and clinical features of the emerging 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) implicate special control measures COVID-19: towards controlling of a pandemic Korean Society for Antimicrobial Therapy, Korean Society for Healthcare-associated Infection Control and Prevention SARS-CoV-2 infection in children Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention World Health Organization. Infection prevention and control during health care when novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection is suspected infection-prevention-andcontrol-during-health-care-when-novel-coronavirus-(ncov)-infection-issuspected-20200125 Interim infection prevention and control recommendations for patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in healthcare settings Universal masking in hospitals in the Covid-19 era Brief report: International perspectives on the pediatric COVID-19 experience The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests. All authors have contributed equally to the content and preparation of the manuscript, therefore, would like to receive credit as first authors. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6051-5020Ralph Epaud http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3830-1039Paul E. Moore http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5123-207X