tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2022 Jan 30;9(3)
fac044.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac044. eCollection 2022 Mar.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Seroprevalence and Reported Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cases in US Children, August 2020-May 2021
Alexia Couture[SUP] 1 [/SUP], B Casey Lyons[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Megha L Mehrotra[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lynn Sosa[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ngozi Ezike[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Farah S Ahmed[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Catherine M Brown[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Stephanie Yendell[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Ihsan A Azzam[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Božena J Katić[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Anna Cope[SUP] 1 10 [/SUP], Kristen Dickerson[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Jolianne Stone[SUP] 12 [/SUP], L Brannon Traxler[SUP] 13 [/SUP], John R Dunn[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Lora B Davis[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Carrie Reed[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kristie E N Clarke[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Brendan Flannery[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Myrna D Charles[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Case-based surveillance of pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases underestimates the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections among children and adolescents. Our objectives were to estimate monthly SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence and calculate ratios of SARS-CoV-2 infections to reported COVID-19 cases among children and adolescents in 8 US states.
Methods: Using data from the Nationwide Commercial Laboratory Seroprevalence Survey, we estimated monthly SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among children aged 0-17 years from August 2020 through May 2021. We calculated and compared cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection extrapolated from population-standardized seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, cumulative COVID-19 case reports since March 2020, and infection-to-case ratios among persons of all ages and children aged 0-17 years for each state.
Results: Of 41 583 residual serum specimens tested, children aged 0-4, 5-11, and 12-17 years accounted for 1619 (3.9%), 10 507 (25.3%), and 29 457 (70.8%), respectively. Median SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among children increased from 8% (range, 6%-20%) in August 2020 to 37% (range, 26%-44%) in May 2021. Estimated ratios of SARS-CoV-2 infections to reported COVID-19 cases in May 2021 ranged by state from 4.7-8.9 among children and adolescents to 2.2-3.9 for all ages combined.
Conclusions: Through May 2021 in selected states, the majority of children with serum specimens included in serosurveys did not have evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Case-based surveillance underestimated the number of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 more than among all ages. Continued monitoring of pediatric SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence should inform prevention and vaccination strategies.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; infection; pediatric; seroprevalence; surveillance.
. 2022 Jan 30;9(3)
fac044.doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac044. eCollection 2022 Mar.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Seroprevalence and Reported Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cases in US Children, August 2020-May 2021
Alexia Couture[SUP] 1 [/SUP], B Casey Lyons[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Megha L Mehrotra[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lynn Sosa[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ngozi Ezike[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Farah S Ahmed[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Catherine M Brown[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Stephanie Yendell[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Ihsan A Azzam[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Božena J Katić[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Anna Cope[SUP] 1 10 [/SUP], Kristen Dickerson[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Jolianne Stone[SUP] 12 [/SUP], L Brannon Traxler[SUP] 13 [/SUP], John R Dunn[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Lora B Davis[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Carrie Reed[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kristie E N Clarke[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Brendan Flannery[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Myrna D Charles[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35198651
- PMCID: PMC8860150
- DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofac044
Abstract
Background: Case-based surveillance of pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases underestimates the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections among children and adolescents. Our objectives were to estimate monthly SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence and calculate ratios of SARS-CoV-2 infections to reported COVID-19 cases among children and adolescents in 8 US states.
Methods: Using data from the Nationwide Commercial Laboratory Seroprevalence Survey, we estimated monthly SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among children aged 0-17 years from August 2020 through May 2021. We calculated and compared cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection extrapolated from population-standardized seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, cumulative COVID-19 case reports since March 2020, and infection-to-case ratios among persons of all ages and children aged 0-17 years for each state.
Results: Of 41 583 residual serum specimens tested, children aged 0-4, 5-11, and 12-17 years accounted for 1619 (3.9%), 10 507 (25.3%), and 29 457 (70.8%), respectively. Median SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among children increased from 8% (range, 6%-20%) in August 2020 to 37% (range, 26%-44%) in May 2021. Estimated ratios of SARS-CoV-2 infections to reported COVID-19 cases in May 2021 ranged by state from 4.7-8.9 among children and adolescents to 2.2-3.9 for all ages combined.
Conclusions: Through May 2021 in selected states, the majority of children with serum specimens included in serosurveys did not have evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Case-based surveillance underestimated the number of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 more than among all ages. Continued monitoring of pediatric SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence should inform prevention and vaccination strategies.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; infection; pediatric; seroprevalence; surveillance.