Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

January 22, 2021

Demographic Predictors of Hospitalization and Mortality in US Children with COVID-19

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Although deaths and hospitalizations are rare among children in the United States diagnosed with COVID-19, Black and multiracial children are more likely than white children to be hospitalized (OR=1.5) and die (OR=3.0). Children with a prior medical condition are also more likely to be hospitalized (OR=3.6) and to die (OR=8.8). Of the 27,045 children whose data were drawn from CDC’s hospitalization surveillance network, 1,274 (5%) required hospitalization. Of these, 39 (0.2%) died.

The authors point out that parents are among the most likely routes of transmission to their children, and that parents who work in high “viral-contact” jobs are more likely to be ethnic or racial minorities. They also observe that poverty, which is more common in these same groups, is tied to larger household sizes, crowding, and therefore greater risk of in-home transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Moreira et al. (Jan 20, 2021). Demographic Predictors of Hospitalization and Mortality in US Children with COVID-19. European Journal of Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-03955-x