A pediatric infectious disease expert on Monday, Aug. 16, said children getting who contracted coronavirus disease (COVID-19) account for less than 10 percent of the country's total cases.
"Because the Delta variant cases are on the rise now, the number of children who will become infected with COVID will only coincide with the increase," Dr. Mary Ann Bunyi, president of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines said in a virtual briefing.
"If you look at the 48,000 cases of children who got infected with COVID-19 and compare that from the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, that's less than 10 percent of our total cases," Bunyi noted.
Children have generally strong resistance to COVID-19, according to Bunyi.
She added that those who got infected with the viral illness only manifest mild symptoms, such as fever, colds, and cough.
However, children with underlying conditions and those below one year old may experience severe COVID-19.
"Children with heart disease, kidney disease, have cancer, asthma, neurologic disorders, diabetes, obesity, and children younger than one-year-old, these are the ones most susceptible to severe COVID-19," Bunyi added.
READ MORE: Kids with underlying illnesses 'more vulnerable' to severe COVID-19 — expert