Retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 among children in Fulton County, Georgia, March 2020–June 2021

ABSTRACT:

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.

SUBMITTER: Barrera C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8671844 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature