Key Points

• Between March 2, 2020, and October 24, 2021, 774 cases of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS or MIS-C) were reported, 695 of which were linked to COVID-19.

• 307 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=636, 82%). A link to the virus was probable in 25 patients, or 3% of cases (exposure to a positive individual or suggestive CT scan), and considered possible in 34 patients (5%). For the remaining 79 patients (10%), this link could not be established.

• In France, the cumulative incidence of PIMS linked to COVID-19 between March 2, 2020, and October 24, 2021, was estimated at 47.9 cases per million inhabitants in the population under 18 years of age (695 cases).

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