Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is generally milder in children than in adults, and a substantial proportion of children with the disease have asymptomatic infections. Remdesivir is recommended for severe COVID-19. To date, there are little data on the outcomes of remdesivir treatment in children. We report a case of severe COVID-19 in a previously healthy but obese (body mass index, 27.6; 99.8th percentile of the age) 9-year-old boy treated with remdesivir and dexamethasone. The patient had pneumonia at the time of diagnosis and required supplemental oxygen due to hypoxia one day after diagnosis. The patient developed respiratory distress as his pneumonia progressed rapidly. Therefore, remdesivir with dexamethasone therapy was initiated on hospital day 2. Supplemental oxygen was gradually weaned on hospital day 6 and stopped on hospital day 9. Significant improvement in pneumonic consolidations on chest X-ray was noted on hospital day 8. The patient was discharged on hospital day 21. We did not observe any adverse effects of remdesivir therapy and successfully treated a 9-year-old child with severe COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; Child; Remdesivir.
© 2021 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.