INTRODUCTION
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), the virus causing COVID-19, has caused a devastating pandemic with over 100 million cases and 2 million deaths globally so far.1To date, children have been relatively spared from severe disease and death, representing around 2% of hospitalizations and less than 1 in every 1,000 COVID-19 deaths.2 However, pediatric patients with underlying conditions have higher rates of hospitalization and death compared with previously healthy children.3
Other respiratory viral infections such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, are among the leading causes of disease and death among pediatric populations.4–7 Co-circulation of influenza and SARS-CoV2 can lead to diagnostic and management difficulties given the similarities in the clinical picture. However, data directly comparing influenza and Covid-19 are scarce, especially in pediatric populations.
The objective of our study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of children hospitalized with SARS-CoV2 in a pediatric referral hospital and compare them to a cohort of hospitalized children with influenza in the same center.