Researchers report nearly 300 cases of mysterious syndrome tied to Covid-19 in kids

Nearly 300 cases of an alarming apparent side effect known as multisystem inflammation syndrome, or MIS-C, have occurred in children with Covid-19, according to new research published by two groups. One group found that 80% of children who developed the condition needed intensive care, 20% required mechanical ventilation, and four children died. In the other study, more than 60% needed respirator support, and two children died. The author of an accompanying editorial writes that, “There is concern that children meeting current diagnostic criteria for MIS-C are the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ and a bigger problem may be lurking below the waterline.” Read more here.

Here's what else is happening with the pandemic today:

The WHO is planning on sending a team of experts to China to investigate the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the agency's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a news briefing yesterday. “We can fight the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started,” he said. Tedros also dismissed complaints from countries claiming contact tracing efforts were too difficult to implement. "If contact tracing helps you to win the fight, you do it, even [when] risking your life," he said. "If any country is saying contact tracing is difficult, it is a lame excuse."
Congress is continuing hearings about the U.S. response to the pandemic and how the country can get back to more normal operations. Top federal Covid-19 experts — Anthony Fauci, Robert Redfield, Brett Giroir, and Stephen Hahn — will be back in front of a Senate committee this morning to discuss how the country can safely get back to work and to school. Meanwhile, a different Senate committee will hear from global health experts on the U.S.'s pandemic preparedness.
The writers of a new First Opinion argue that the U.S. could learn a lot from Taiwan's response to the pandemic. The island nation has only seen a Covid-19 death rate of 0.03 deaths per 100,000, compared to the U.S.'s rate of 36 deaths per 100,000 people. Every person in Taiwan has a health ID card as part of an expansive digital health infrastructure that was quickly employed to respond to the pandemic by tracking travelers and monitoring trends in physician visits among patients.