Key Points

• Between March 1, 2020, and August 22, 2021, 640 cases of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS) were reported, 565 of which were linked to COVID-19.

• 267 cases (43%) involved girls. The median age of cases was 7 years (25% of cases were ≤ 4 years old and 75% were ≤ 11 years old).

• More than three-quarters of the cases were confirmed by positive RT-PCR and/or serology for SARS-CoV-2 (n=513, 80%). A link to the virus was probable in 21 patients, or 3% of cases (exposure to a positive individual or suggestive CT scan), and considered possible in 31 patients (5%). For the remaining 75 patients (12%), this link could not be established.

• In France, the cumulative incidence of PIMS linked to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and August 22, 2021, was estimated at 38.9 cases per million inhabitants in the population under 18 years of age (565 cases).

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