Test positivity and clinical presentation of COVID-19 in Mozambican infants hospitalized during the second wave of the pandemic in 2021.

Introduction: during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mozambique, there was a surge in pediatric hospitalizations at a time when there was relatively little evidence, but significant concern about clinical outcomes in African children, particularly in higher-risk infants requiring, and health system capacity to respond.

Methods: a retrospective cohort study was conducted for patients 1-12 months of age admitted to the Breastfeeding ward at Hospital Central de Maputo from January-February 2021. All had routine SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing performed. For patients with positive results, hospital charts were retrospectively reviewed. Descriptive analyses were performed.

Results: of 209 patients that had SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing performed, 102 (48.8%) received results, of which 37 (36.3%) were positive. Positive results were received prior to discharge for 14 patients (37.8%). Median duration of hospitalization was 3 days. There were two deaths in COVID-positive patients (5.4%), both with complex comorbidities. For the 35 COVID-19 positive patients whose charts were located, the principal admission diagnosis was respiratory for 22 (62.9%), and 14 (40.0%) had oxygen saturation <94% at admission. The white blood cell count was >12.0 x 10cells/mL in 10 patients (28.6%) and the most common abnormal finding on chest radiograph was peribronchial thickening (38.5% of patients with results). Oxygen therapy was needed for 20 patients (57.1%).

Conclusion: the majority of infants with COVID-19 had a mild, short-duration respiratory illness that did not exceed ward capacity for care, including oxygen treatment. Laboratory capacity for PCR testing was overwhelmed, delaying the return of results and complicating inpatient infection control measures.