Key Points

• Between March 2, 2020, and December 26, 2021, 826 cases of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS or MIS-C) were reported, including 745 linked to COVID-19. Note that there has been a further increase in the number of cases since late November.

• 328 cases (40%) involved girls. The median age of cases was 7 years (25% of cases were ≤ 4 years old and 75% ≤ 11 years old).

• More than three-quarters of the cases were confirmed by positive RT-PCR and/or serology for SARS-CoV-2 (n=679, 82%). A link to the virus was probable in 30 patients, or 4% of cases (exposure to a positive individual or suggestive CT scan), and considered possible in 36 patients (4%). For the remaining 81 patients (10%), this link could not be established.

• In France, the cumulative incidence of PIMS linked to COVID-19 was estimated at 5.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the population under 18 years of age.

More information on the national surveillance of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS) cases