Only SIX healthy children died of Covid during first year of the 'pandemic'

Only six healthy children died of Covid during England's first year of the pandemic, an analysis of NHS data has found. 

Experts found a total of 25 youngsters died from the virus between March 2020 and February 2021. But the majority had underlying health conditions which made them vulnerable to the virus

Of the six healthy children which died four were killed by the virus itself, while two succumbed to the Kawasaki-like disease called Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally (PIMS-TS). 

Considering the 12million children in England, the researchers say this gives healthy children a one in 500,000 chance of dying from the virus.

Study author Professor Russell Viner, an expert in child and adolescent health from University College London, said the findings demonstrated the comparatively small risk Covid posed to children.

'Any death of a child is one too many — but we sadly must recognise there are over 3,000 deaths of children and young people in England in ordinary years.' 

Professor Viner also said the majority of the children that did die from Covid were vulnerable to similar diseases that circulate during the year. 

'The great majority of those who died were children and young people we know are sadly at much higher risk of death due to other serious medical conditions,' he said.

Of the 25 children that died the majority (72 per cent) were over 10, with 15 having a life-limiting condition and 16 having two or more comorbidities.  

While 61 children in total were recorded as having died of Covid in the initial analysis of data, the researchers found the virus had only contributed to the death in 25.