High frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children admitted to academic hospitals in central South Africa

Résumé fourni par la source

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Omicron variant was highly infectious in children, and resulted in high hospital admission rates in this population compared with other SARS-CoV-2 variants. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children during the Omicron variant wave in Free State Province, South Africa (SA). METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2022 to April 2023 in the Free State, SA. A total of 320 children admitted at Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital and Universitas Academic Hospital between the ages of 0 and 12 years were recruited. All participants were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using the nucleocapsid antibody rapid test. Parent and caregiver vaccination history was also collected. RESULTS: In our study, 46.8% of the children tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The highest (60%) infection rate was observed in neonates. Children were admitted for various reasons, and none were screened for suspected SARS-CoV-2 on admission. Of the infected population, 28% were premature, 12.6% had gastrointestinal tract infections, 12% had respiratory conditions and 10% had central nervous system conditions. A total of 43.3% of the infected children were from vaccinated parents or caregivers. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that a high number of hospitalised children tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while admitted for conditions unrelated to COVID-19. Most, if not all, children did not exhibit COVID-19-specific symptoms, and this may be due to the Omicron variant, which was highly infectious but less virulent, and was associated with mild disease.

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