6-Year-Old Dies A Month After COVID-19 Recovery, Doctors Probing Omicron And PIMS Links

A six-year-old boy died in southern Israel on Monday, nearly a month after recovering from COVID-19. The child's sudden death raised concerns among the doctors who are trying to determine if Omicron or pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) is linked to the case.

Medical staff at Barzilai Medical Center, where the boy was being treated, said he contracted coronavirus a month and a half ago and had recovered since. The child has been identified as Yosef Naim from Netivot, The Times of Israel reported.

Naim's parents told local media that he started showing signs of being unwell Sunday. They were planning to attend an event but canceled it due to Naim's health, YNet News reported.

The worried parents found him without a pulse in his bed and called an ambulance the following day. He was taken to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon where doctors declared him dead.

According to the hospital's director and former Health Ministry director-general, Prof. Hezi Levi, the cause of Naim's death was unknown. Doctors have conducted tests to determine if the new COVID-19 variant Omicron or PIMS, which is a post-coronavirus complication, had affected the child.

According to health officials, PIMS is known to target the children who have had the virus and causes swelling throughout the body. The condition can sometimes be fatal.

Three of the boy's sisters were also taken to the hospital Monday suffering from shortness of breath and vomiting. Another sister has been hospitalized for several days. Local media reported that four of Naim's siblings, as well as their father, had contracted coronavirus and recovered from it.

"He was a happy and active child who did not suffer from any diseases and even had a Green Pass after recovering from coronavirus," Naim's grandfather told YNet. A Green Pass is a document that grants access to public venues for those who have either been fully inoculated against COVID-19 or have recently recovered from it.

"He was a strong boy, jumping from place to place, like a normal child, full of energy and joy of life. He was the only son in the family. This disaster came to us from nowhere."

An investigation is currently underway into Naim's death.

According to health officials, there have been 55 confirmed cases of Omicron in Israel as of Monday. The country has registered 135,0215 coronavirus cases and 8,216 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.