State Doctors Still Seeing Steady Increase In Numbers For COVID-19 Side Effect Among Children

Doctors at OU Health said they are still seeing a steady increase in MIS-C cases. The condition is a scary after effect of COVID in children.

When News 9’s Ashely Holden first talked to OU just weeks ago they had seen two dozen cases, now that number is up to 30.

One Prague family credits OU Children's with saving their daughter Lexi's life.

"When we got to OU she was classified at that time with kidney failure and heart failure," said Lexi's mom Alyssa Stoops. 

Almost three months ago, 8-year-old Lexi was fighting for her life. After days of trying to figure out what was wrong, she ended up at OU Children’s. With a diagnosis of MIS-C and treatment, slowly Lexi went from being on a ventilator to being able to go home.

But the road to recovery from MIS-C is something even doctors are learning about. 

"So unfortunately, no, the amount of data that we have is about 6 months’ worth," said Dr. Donna Tyungu with OU Health.

Stoops said she really struggled with the lack of knowledge or what to expect. 

"You just feel like you are in such just a dark space almost," said Stoops. 

Since getting out of the hospital, Lexi hasn't been able to do much physical activity. Less than a week ago she reached a major milestone, a clean bill of health from her cardiologist.

"The first thing she said was ‘I can run and climb trees,’" said Stoops. 

Lexi won't be able to play sports for months, and still has to see other specialists for lingering symptoms. Even with the monitoring ahead, this is a major step forward.

"Hearing that news was a big relief," said Stoops. 

So much is still unknown about the condition, and MIS-C can be hard to diagnose. Lexi's mom wants other parents to be on the lookout. 

"Just be persistent," said Stoops. "Do not take no for answer. It's a gut feeling," she said.