Children, adults equally vulnerable to coronavirus infection, but
children less likely to become sick, research finds
Study shows relatively high rate of household transmission when at least
one member is infected

Date:
November 1, 2021
Source:
University of Utah Health
Summary:
New research addresses the misconception that children are less
susceptible to infection with the new coronavirus. According
to a recent report, children and adults have similar risks of
becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, but a much larger proportion
of infected children do not show symptoms of COVID-19. When one
household member is infected, there is a 52 percent chance they
will transmit it to at least one other person with whom they live.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
New research addresses the misconception that children are less
susceptible to infection with the new coronavirus. According to a recent
report in JAMA Pediatrics, children and adults have similar risks of
becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, but a much larger proportion of
infected children do not show symptoms of COVID-19. When one household
member is infected, there is a 52% chance they will transmit it to at
least one other person with whom they live.


==========================================================================
The findings are based on the Coronavirus Household Evaluation and
Respiratory Testing (C-HEaRT) study led by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with investigators at University
of Utah Health, Columbia University, Marshfield Virology Laboratory,
and Abt Associates.

"Often, it seemed like children weren't sick because they didn't have any symptoms," says Christina Porucznik, Ph.D., professor of public health
at U of U Health, who led investigation of 189 families in Utah. "But
some were actually infected, and they could still spread COVID-19."
Early in the pandemic, reports indicated that children accounted for
the minority of COVID-19 cases. However, the observation was not able
to distinguish between two scenarios. One was that children were less susceptible to infection. Another was that reported case rates in children
were artificially low because they did not show symptoms, and therefore
were not tested.

To better understand infection dynamics, the C-HEaRT study followed
310 households with one or more children aged 0 to 17 years in Utah and
New York City. More than 1,236 study participants submitted samples for
weekly molecular testing (PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 infections and completed
weekly questionnaires about symptoms. On average, each person was observed
for 17 weeks, and the report included a total of 21,465 person-weeks of surveillance time. The results were from September 2020 through April
2021, before the Delta variant emerged in the U.S.

The study showed that:
* Children and adults 18 years and older had similar rates of
infection.

* Children in different age groups (birth to 4 years; 5 to 11 years;
12 to
17 years) also had similar rates of infection. Infection rates in
each group were between 4.4 to 6.3/1,000 person-weeks.

* About half of the cases in children were symptomatic, compared
with 88%
of adult cases.

* In households with one or more infected individuals, the overall
average
household infection risk was 52%.

* The mean household infection risk was 40% in Utah and 80% in
New York
City.

More research will need to be done to investigate whether differences in housing density, the timing of emergence of the Delta variant, or other
factors contributed to differences in household transmission rates in
Utah and New York. Additionally, infection rates and household infection
risk may be higher in the general population since study participants
could be more likely to carry out COVID-19 prevention behaviors.

This study's results highlight that many infections in children go
undetected, underscoring the need for surveillance testing and for
children to continue public health safety measures to protect the people
around them, Porucznik says. "We know that until kids can be vaccinated,
it's still important for them to wear masks when they're in groups and
to keep them apart," she says. "And most of all, when they are sick,
keep them home." The study published as "Incidence Rates, Household
Infection Risk, and Clinical Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Among Children and Adults in Utah and New York City, New York" and was
funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additional co-authors from U of U Health include Joseph Stanford, M.D., professor of family and preventive medicine, and Emily Hacker, a graduate student in public health.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Utah_Health. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Fatimah S. Dawood, Christina A. Porucznik, Vic Veguilla, Joseph B.

Stanford, Jazmin Duque, Melissa A. Rolfes, Ashton Dixon, Priyam
Thind, Emily Hacker, Maria Julia E. Castro, Zuha Jeddy, Michael
Daugherty, Kim Altunkaynak, Danielle Rentz Hunt, Utsav Kattel,
Jennifer Meece, Melissa S. Stockwell. Incidence Rates, Household
Infection Risk, and Clinical Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Among Children and Adults in Utah and New York City, New York. JAMA
Pediatrics, 2021; DOI: 10.1001/ jamapediatrics.2021.4217 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211101105407.htm

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