Key Points

• Between March 1, 2020, and September 26, 2021, 727 cases of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS) were reported, 648 of which were linked to COVID-19.

• 294 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=591, 81%). A link to the virus was probable in 24 patients, or 3% of cases (exposure to a positive individual or suggestive CT scan), and considered possible in 33 patients (5%). For the remaining 79 patients (11%), this link could not be established.

• In France, the cumulative incidence of PIMS linked to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and September 26, 2021, was estimated at 44.6 cases per million inhabitants in the population under 18 years of age (648 cases).

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