tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
. 2022 Nov 11;71(45):1442-1448.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7145a3.
COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations Among U.S. Infants Aged <6 Months - COVID-NET, 13 States, June 2021-August 2022
Sarah Hamid, Kate Woodworth, Huong Pham, Jennifer Milucky, Shua J Chai, Breanna Kawasaki, Kimberly Yousey-Hindes, Evan J Anderson, Justin Henderson, Ruth Lynfield, Francesca Pacheco, Grant Barney, Nancy M Bennett, Eli Shiltz, Melissa Sutton, H Keipp Talbot, Andrea Price, Fiona P Havers, Christopher A Taylor, COVID-NET Surveillance Team
Collaborators, Affiliations
Abstract
COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates are highest among adults aged ≥65 years (1); however, COVID-19 can and does cause severe and fatal outcomes in children, including infants (2,3). After the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) BA.1 variant in December 2021, hospitalizations among children aged <5 years, who were ineligible for vaccination, increased more rapidly than did those in other age groups (4). On June 18, 2022, CDC recommended COVID-19 vaccination for infants and children aged ≥6 months (5). Data from the Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET)* were analyzed to describe changes in the age distribution of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations since the Delta-predominant period (June 20-December 18, 2021)[SUP]†[/SUP] with a focus on U.S. infants aged <6 months. During the Omicron BA.2/BA.5-predominant periods (December 19-August 31, 2021), weekly hospitalizations per 100,000 infants aged <6 months increased from a nadir of 2.2 (week ending April 9, 2022) to a peak of 26.0 (week ending July 23, 2022), and the average weekly hospitalization rate among these infants (13.7) was similar to that among adults aged 65-74 years (13.8). However, the prevalence of indicators of severe disease[SUP]§[/SUP] among hospitalized infants did not increase since the B.1.617.2 (Delta)-predominant period. To help protect infants too young to be vaccinated, prevention should focus on nonpharmaceutical interventions and vaccination of pregnant women, which might provide protection through transplacental transfer of antibodies (6).
. 2022 Nov 11;71(45):1442-1448.
doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7145a3.
COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations Among U.S. Infants Aged <6 Months - COVID-NET, 13 States, June 2021-August 2022
Sarah Hamid, Kate Woodworth, Huong Pham, Jennifer Milucky, Shua J Chai, Breanna Kawasaki, Kimberly Yousey-Hindes, Evan J Anderson, Justin Henderson, Ruth Lynfield, Francesca Pacheco, Grant Barney, Nancy M Bennett, Eli Shiltz, Melissa Sutton, H Keipp Talbot, Andrea Price, Fiona P Havers, Christopher A Taylor, COVID-NET Surveillance Team
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 36355608
- DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7145a3
Abstract
COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates are highest among adults aged ≥65 years (1); however, COVID-19 can and does cause severe and fatal outcomes in children, including infants (2,3). After the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) BA.1 variant in December 2021, hospitalizations among children aged <5 years, who were ineligible for vaccination, increased more rapidly than did those in other age groups (4). On June 18, 2022, CDC recommended COVID-19 vaccination for infants and children aged ≥6 months (5). Data from the Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET)* were analyzed to describe changes in the age distribution of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations since the Delta-predominant period (June 20-December 18, 2021)[SUP]†[/SUP] with a focus on U.S. infants aged <6 months. During the Omicron BA.2/BA.5-predominant periods (December 19-August 31, 2021), weekly hospitalizations per 100,000 infants aged <6 months increased from a nadir of 2.2 (week ending April 9, 2022) to a peak of 26.0 (week ending July 23, 2022), and the average weekly hospitalization rate among these infants (13.7) was similar to that among adults aged 65-74 years (13.8). However, the prevalence of indicators of severe disease[SUP]§[/SUP] among hospitalized infants did not increase since the B.1.617.2 (Delta)-predominant period. To help protect infants too young to be vaccinated, prevention should focus on nonpharmaceutical interventions and vaccination of pregnant women, which might provide protection through transplacental transfer of antibodies (6).