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- Document type:
- Article
- Author(s):
- Ott, Raffael; Achenbach, Peter; Ewald, Dominik A.; Friedl, Nadine; Gemulla, Gita; Hubmann, Michael; Kordonouri, Olga; Loff, Anja; Marquardt, Erika; Sifft, Philipp; Sporreiter, Melanie; Zapardiel-Gonzalo, Jose; Ziegler, Anette-G.
- Title:
- SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence in Preschool and School-Age Children
- Abstract:
- Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is ongoing in Germany. Children and adolescents are increasingly being infected, and many cases presumably remain undetected and unreported. Sero-epidemiological studies can help estimate the true number of infections. Methods: From January 2020 to June 2022, 59 786 persons aged 1-17 years were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies as part of a screening program for presymptomatic type 1 diabetes in the German federal state of Bavaria (the Fr1da study). Results: In June 2022, the seroprevalence in the overall population was 73.5%. The seroprevalence was significantly higher in school-age children (from 5 to 10 years of age) than in preschool children (ages 1-4): 84.4% vs. 66.6%, p < 0.001. In contrast, in November 2021, before the appearance of the omicron variant, the overall sero-prevalence was 14.7% (16.2% of school-age children, 13.0% of preschool children, p = 0.06). In the overall collective, seroprevalence increased fivefold from the fall of 2021 to June 2022 (by a factor of 5.2 in school-age children and 5.1 in preschool children). Similar seroprevalences, with smaller case numbers, were observed in June 2022 in the corresponding Fr1da studies in Saxony and Northern Germany: 87.8% and 76.7%, respectively. Conclusion: Monthly case counts reveal a substantial rise in SARS-CoV-2-infections among children and adolescents from late 2021 to mid-2022. The high percentage of preschool and school-age children who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, in a population that has low vaccination coverage, should be taken into account in the development of health policies.
- Journal title abbreviation:
- Dtsch Arztebl Int
- Year:
- 2022
- Journal volume:
- 119
- Journal issue:
- 45
- Pages contribution:
- 765-+
- Fulltext / DOI:
- doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0355
- Pubmed ID:
- http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36345616
- Print-ISSN:
- 1866-0452
- TUM Institution:
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin
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