[Clinical characteristics and vaccination status of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infected children]

[Clinical features of children and their family members with family clusters of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in Shanghai, China: an analysis of 380 cases]

OBJECTIVES

To study the clinical features and prognosis of children and their family members with family clusters of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant infection under the admission mode of parent-child ward.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 190 children and 190 family members with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection who were admitted to Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, the designated hospital for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), April 8 to May 10, 2022.

RESULTS

Both the child and adult groups were mainly mild COVID-19, and the proportion of mild cases in the child group was higher than that in the adult group (P<0.05). Respiratory symptoms were the main clinical manifestations in both groups. Compared with the adult group, the child group had higher incidence rates of fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and wheezing (P<0.05) and lower incidence rates of nasal obstruction, runny nose, cough, dry throat, throat itching, and throat pain (P<0.05). Compared with the child group, the adult group had higher rates of use of Chinese patent drugs, traditional Chinese medicine decoction, recombinant interferon spray, cough-relieving and phlegm-eliminating drugs, and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir tablets (P<0.05). Compared with the adult group, the child group had a lower vaccination rate of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (30.5% vs 71.1%, P<0.001) and a shorter duration of positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid (P<0.05). The patients with mild COVID-19 had a shorter duration of positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid than those with common COVID-19 in both groups (P<0.05). The patients with underlying diseases had a longer duration of positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid than those without such diseases in both groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Both children and adults with family clusters of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection manifest mainly mild COVID-19. Despite lower vaccination rate of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in children, they have rapid disease recovery, with a shorter duration of positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid than adults, under the admission mode of parent-child ward.

Clinical characteristics of children with omicron SARS-CoV-2 infection in Changchun, China from march to april 2022: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Recently, there was an outbreak in China of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, the corresponding clinical characteristics of Chinese children with the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection were then reviewed and summarized retrospectively.

METHODS

From March to April 2022, a total of 134 children infected with the Omicron variant were included in the study. Data such as sex, age, clinical symptoms, laboratory examinations, and imaging features were collected for further analyses.

RESULTS

Half of the children were male and the median age was 5.67 years. The most SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was identified in mild (122, 91%), and the most three frequent symptoms were as cough (108, 80.6%), fever (75, 56%), and sore throat (38, 28.4%). Among age groups, no significant difference was observed in the distribution of symptoms, and no statistical difference was found in different clinical types among sex or age groups. Laboratory examinations revealed that white blood cells, neutrophils, and hemoglobin decreased; and monocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased. Further analyses showed that neutrophils, hemoglobin, CRP, and AST exhibited significant differences among age groups. Radiological abnormalities were found in nine cases, with small patchy high-density shadows. Of the 76 cured cases discharged from the hospital, the median hospital stay was 13 days (mean, 12 days).

CONCLUSIONS

In China, most children with Omicron SARS-CoV-2 infection have mild presentation. The findings of this study may help other districts improve the management of children with Omicron SARS-CoV-2 infection in China.