March 4, 2021

Estimated SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Among Persons Aged <18 Years — Mississippi, May–September 2020

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): public health

• A retrospective seroprevalence study among children and adolescents <18 years of age in Mississippi suggests that cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection may be more than 10-times higher than reported cases. 11% of 1,603 serum specimens collected for routine clinical testing from persons aged <18 years during May to September 2020 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, suggesting a population-weighted prevalence of 16%, which would correspond to 113,842 cases among young persons by mid-September. In contrast, only 8,993 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases among young persons had been reported to the state Department of Health by August 2020.

Hobbs et al. (Mar 5, 2021). Estimated SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Among Persons Aged <18 Years — Mississippi, May–September 2020. MMWR. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7009a4