Unverifiable: Children have died from Omicron subvariant BA.2 in Hong Kong.

By: Ankita Kulkarni
March 23 2022

Share Article:

Three children diagnosed with COVID-19 under the age of 5 died in Hong Kong's recent surge, but it's unknown whether Omicron BA.2 caused those deaths.The state of Hong Kong is currently facing a surge of COVID-19 cases. Thousands of Omicron cases have been reported, attributed to the new BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, with a sharp rise in deaths. Around the first week of March, there were some news reports of children below the age of five dying in the recent COVID-19 wave. However, it is unverifiable whether the BA.2 sub-variant caused those deaths due to insufficient evidence and ongoing investigations. The Straits Times reported on March 4, 2022, that three children, aged 11 months, 3 years old, and 4 years old, had died in the Hong Kong outbreak. Although the children were diagnosed with COVID-19, the cause or causes of death are unverifiable as they are still under investigation. None of the children are reported to have had any pre-existing medical conditions. In the current wave in Hong Kong, there have been approximately 300,000 recorded infections and 1,153 fatalities. At time of reporting, 1,939 children in Hong Kong have been hospitalized with COVID-19. The BBC News reported at the beginning of February 2022 that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 accounted for more than half the cases in the world. The Omicron sub-variant BA.2 has been detected in 57 countries so far, including in Hong Kong, where there is a prominent outbreak. Some studies suggest that while the BA.2 sub-variant is more transmissible than the original version of Omicron, there is no evidence yet to suggest that it causes more severe disease. COVID-19 typically remains mild in children, but occasionally results in severe illness. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.