Hardelid, Pia; Favarato, Graziella; Wijlaars, Linda; Fenton, Lynda; McMenamin, Jim; Clemens, Tom; Dibben, Chris; Milojevic, Ai; Macfarlane, Alison; Taylor, Jonathon; +2 more... Cunningham, Steven; Wood, Rachael; (2022) SARS-CoV-2 tests, confirmed infections and COVID-19-related hospital admissions in children and young people: birth cohort study. BMJ paediatrics open, 6 (1). e001545-e001545. ISSN 2399-9772 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2022-001545
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: There have been no population-based studies of SARS-CoV-2 testing, PCR-confirmed infections and COVID-19-related hospital admissions across the full paediatric age range. We examine the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in children and young people (CYP) aged <23 years. METHODS: We used a birth cohort of all children born in Scotland since 1997, constructed via linkage between vital statistics, hospital records and SARS-CoV-2 surveillance data. We calculated risks of tests and PCR-confirmed infections per 1000 CYP-years between August and December 2020, and COVID-19-related hospital admissions per 100 000 CYP-years between February and December 2020. We used Poisson and Cox proportional hazards regression models to determine risk factors. RESULTS: Among the 1 226 855 CYP in the cohort, there were 378 402 tests (a rate of 770.8/1000 CYP-years (95% CI 768.4 to 773.3)), 19 005 PCR-confirmed infections (179.4/1000 CYP-years (176.9 to 182.0)) and 346 admissions (29.4/100 000 CYP-years (26.3 to 32.8)). Infants had the highest COVID-19-related admission rates. The presence of chronic conditions, particularly multiple types of conditions, was strongly associated with COVID-19-related admissions across all ages. Overall, 49% of admitted CYP had at least one chronic condition recorded. CONCLUSIONS: Infants and CYP with chronic conditions are at highest risk of admission with COVID-19. Half of admitted CYP had chronic conditions. Studies examining COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among children with chronic conditions and whether maternal vaccine during pregnancy prevents COVID-19 admissions in infants are urgently needed.
Item Type | Article |
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Faculty and Department | Faculty of Public Health and Policy > Public Health, Environments and Society |
Research Centre | Covid-19 Research |
PubMed ID | 36053647 |
Elements ID | 183659 |
Official URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2022-001545 |
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Filename: SARS-CoV-2 tests, confirmed infections and COVID-19-related hospital admissions in children and young people birth cohort st.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
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