An antibody survey has found that most kids in the US have caught the coronavirus. Researchers found that most children aged 1–17 had probably been infected by February this year, and infection rates in children exceed those observed in adults
Roughly two in every three children aged between one and four years old in the United States have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to a nationwide analysis. Infections in that age group increased more than in any other during the Omicron wave, which researchers say demonstrates the variant’s high transmissibility.
Although the analysis involved a small number of very young children, the results are consistent with the rapid rise in documented infections in that age-group, says Pamela Davis, a physician and medical researcher at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. To assess the scale of unrecorded infections, Clarke and her colleagues looked for the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in leftover blood samples taken during doctor visits between September 2021 and February 2022. The antibodies they looked for target a specific protein on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is not present in the COVID-19 vaccines used in the United States — so they can tell that children gained immunity from infection, rather than vaccination.
Many factors could explain the increased infections in toddlers and preschoolers, says Clarke, including that children under five are not eligible for vaccination and might be less likely to wear masks or practice social distancing than older kids and adults.
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