Evaluation of childhood hospitalization rates and degree of severity of SARS‐CoV‐2 variants, including B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.315/P.1 (Beta/Gamma), and B.1.617.2 (Delta)

Çelebi, Miray Yılmaz; Kıymet, Elif; Böncüoğlu, Elif; Şahinkaya, Şahika; Cem, Ela; Düzgöl, Mine; Kara, Aybüke Akaslan; Ayhan, Fahri Yüce; Bayram, Nuri; Devrim, İlker

doi:10.1002/jmv.27587

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Gorgels et al 26 have recently reported three large primary school outbreaks in the Netherlands, suggesting increased transmissibility of the VOC Alpha among children aged 5–12. The higher prevalence of this variant in children was also observed in studies carried out in Argentina 27 and Turkey 28 …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…The higher prevalence of this variant in children was also observed in studies carried out in Argentina 27 and Turkey. 28 Although RT-qPCR is considered the gold-standard method for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection, pre-analytical limitations such as gRNA fragmentation due to formalin fixation can result in FFPE specimens with low viral load presenting as false negatives. 8 In this context, droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), a PCR reaction carried out individually in numerous partitions of each sample, has been demonstrated to be the most sensitive and specific test to identify SARS-CoV-2 in tissue samples.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Can SARS‐CoV‐2 screening in oral biopsies aid epidemiological surveillance?

Martins‐Chaves,

Diniz,

Miguita

et al. 2023

J Oral Pathology Medicine

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BackgroundThree years after the first confirmed COVID‐19 case in Brazil, the outcomes of Federal government omissions in managing the crisis and anti‐science stance heading into the pandemic have become even more evident. With over 36 million confirmed cases and nearly 700 000 deaths up to January 2023, the country is one of the hardest‐hit places in the world. The lack of mass‐testing programs was a critical broken pillar responsible for the quick and uncontrolled SARS‐CoV‐2 spread throughout the Brazilian population. Faced with this situation, we aimed to perform the routine SARS‐CoV‐2 screening through RT‐qPCR of oral biopsies samples to aid in the asymptomatic epidemiological surveillance during the principal outbreak periods.MethodsWe analyzed 649 formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded oral tissue samples from five important oral and maxillofacial pathology laboratories from the north, northeast, and southeast geographic regions of Brazil. We also sequenced the whole viral genome of positive cases to investigate SARS‐CoV‐2 variants.ResultsThe virus was detected in 9/649 analyzed samples, of which three harbored the Variant of Concern Alpha (B.1.1.7).ConclusionAlthough our approach did not value aiding asymptomatic epidemiological surveillance, we could successfully identify a using FFPE tissue samples. Therefore, we suggest using FFPE tissue samples from patients who have confirmed diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection for phylogenetic reconstruction and contraindicate the routine laboratory screening of these samples as a tool for asymptomatic epidemiological surveillance.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can SARS‐CoV‐2 screening in oral biopsies aid epidemiological surveillance?

Martins‐Chaves,

Diniz,

Miguita

et al. 2023

J Oral Pathology Medicine

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“…During Alpha, Gamma and Lambda variant prevalence, the average age of children infected was higher, as was observed in a similar study in Turkey, in which mean age of children infected by new variants was reported to be 9 years. 17 During the second period of our study, a smaller proportion of cases referred to having contact with a probable or suspected COVID-19 case. Likewise, when new variants of concern appeared in other countries in Latin America, fewer children reported having been in contact with a positive case, who was not a family member.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Comparison of Epidemiologic and Clinical COVID-19 Profiles in Children in Argentina, During Circulation of Original and Variant (Alpha, Gamma and Lambda) Strains

Gentile

Juárez

Bollon

et al. 2022

Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal

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Background: Information on the impact of the different variants in children in Latin America is scarce. The objective of this study was to describe epidemiologic and clinical features of COVID-19 infection in children under 18 years of age in Argentina, comparing the periods before and after the circulation of new variants. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional, multicentric, analytical study. All patients under 18 years of age with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted at 22 healthcare centers were included. Two study periods were established: Period 1 (EW10-2020 to EW12-2021) for the Wuhan strain; Period 2 (EW13 to EW35 2021) for Alpha, Gamma, Delta and Lambda variants. Findings: A total of 6330 confirmed cases were included. Period 1: 3575 (56.5%), period 2: 2755 (43.5%). During period 2, a lower number of asymptomatic cases was observed, while general, respiratory and neurologic signs and symptoms increased in all age groups. Oxygen therapy requirement was higher during the first period (36.7% vs 19.1%; P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in the rates of severe or critical cases (6.3% vs 5,4%; P = 0.102), intensive care admission (2.1% vs 2%; P < 0.656) or case fatality (0.3% vs 0.5 %; P < 0.229). MIS-C cases occurred more frequently during the first period (1.9% vs 1.1%; P = 0.009) Interpretation: The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 in Argentina has evolved. With the emergence of new variants, although the number of asymptomatic cases declined, numbers of severe and critical cases, as well as case fatality rates in children, remained unchanged.

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“…A recent study from our center revealed that every variant reported before had different features, and the one before the Omicron variant, Delta variant (B.1.617.2), was associated with higher hospitalization rates. 1 We also compared the changing hospitalization trends of pediatric patients before and during the Omicron period in terms of age groups. Between March 2020 and January 2022, a total of 660 pediatric COVID-19 patients were reviewed retrospectively.…”

Section: To the Editorsmentioning

confidence: 99%