Management of hepatitis C in children and adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic

Table 2 Recommendations for the management of pediatric patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic[35,39]

Management	Recommendation
Physical distancing	Recommended
Patient education on risk and precaution on COVID-19	Recommended
Testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection	Recommended in patients with clinical symptoms suggesting COVID-19, or with household contact with an infected family member, or requiring hospitalization
Visits to specialized centers	Should be postponed
Routine laboratory testing	Should be performed (only if truly necessary) locally/offsite
Direct-acting antiviral therapy already initiated	Should be continued
Starting direct-acting antiviral treatment	May be postponed in patients with stable chronic hepatitis C. If possible, it should be considered in patients with significant fibrosis or human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus coinfection
Telemedicine/visits by phone	Recommended instead of face-to-face visits whenever possible
Drug supply	Home delivery or sending prescriptions by e-mail
Liver-related diagnostic procedures	Should be deferred unless they are likely to change management

COVID-19: Coronavirus disease 2019.