| Title: |
Retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 among children in Fulton County, Georgia, March 2020–June 2021 |
| Authors: |
Udodirim Onwubiko, Chloe M Barrera, Mallory Hazell, Allison T Chamberlain, Neel R Gandhi, Carol Y Liu, Juliana Prieto, Fazle Khan, Sarita Shah |
| Source: |
BMJ Paediatrics Open, Vol 5, Iss 1 (2021) |
| Publisher Information: |
BMJ Publishing Group, 2021. |
| Publication Year: |
2021 |
| Collection: |
LCC:Pediatrics |
| Subject Terms: |
Pediatrics, RJ1-570 |
| More Details: |
Objective To describe case rates, testing rates and percent positivity of COVID-19 among children aged 0–18 years by school-age grouping.Design We abstracted data from Georgia’s State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System on all 10 437 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases among children aged 0–18 years during 30 March 2020 to 6 June 2021. We examined case rates, testing rates and percent positivity by school-aged groupings, namely: preschool (0–4 years), elementary school (5–10 years), middle school (11–13 years), and high school (14–18 years) and compared these data among school-aged children with those in the adult population (19 years and older).Setting Fulton County, Georgia.Main outcome measures COVID-19 case rates, testing rates and percent positivity.Results Over time, the proportion of paediatric cases rose substantially from 1.1% (April 2020) to 21.6% (April 2021) of all cases in the county. Age-specific case rates and test rates were consistently highest among high-school aged children. Test positivity was similar across school-age groups, with periods of higher positivity among high-school aged children.Conclusions Low COVID-19 testing rates among children, especially early in the pandemic, likely underestimated the true burden of disease in this age group. Despite children having lower measured incidence of COVID-19, we found when broader community incidence increased, incidence also increased among all paediatric age groups. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, it remains critical to continue learning about the incidence and transmissibility of COVID-19 in children. |
| Document Type: |
article |
| File Description: |
electronic resource |
| Language: |
English |
| ISSN: |
2399-9772 |
| Relation: |
https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/5/1/e001223.full; https://doaj.org/toc/2399-9772 |
| DOI: |
10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001223 |
| Access URL: |
https://doaj.org/article/e9c057badc654837a6f564c50dbfcf93 |
| Accession Number: |
edsdoj.9c057badc654837a6f564c50dbfcf93 |
| Database: |
Directory of Open Access Journals |
