Role of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in children in Germany

Bittmann, Stefan

doi:10.1007/s12519-021-00511-3

Cited by 11 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Mucosal immunity plays an important role in control as well as pathophysiological immune-mediated disorders of respiratory viral infections like SARS-CoV-2. Our data demonstrate that most children and adolescents with severe COVID-19 or MIS-C have weak mucosal neutralizing antibodies in the trachea against circulating SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and other VOCs, and therefore may be susceptible to re-infection with emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants as has been observed in recent months for infection of children with the Omicron variant [14]. These findings are consistent with the weak mucosal response observed in the upper respiratory tract of adults with either COVID-19 or upon infection with respiratory syncytial virus [12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…Vaccination rates in children is low, especially in children who had prior MIS-C, and hence they are potentially at risk of another hyperinflammatory episode if re-infected with a variant strain. Therefore, children with low mucosal immunity against variants may have risk of transmission to other vulnerable populations [14]. The low respiratory tract antibodies in these children could be associated with the development of long COVID sequelae such as those observed in an adolescent [18], and therefore a better understanding of systemic and especially mucosal immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is required in children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Systemic and Lower Respiratory Tract Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Variants in Pediatric Severe COVID-19 and Mis-C

et al. 2022

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Mucosal immunity plays an important role in the control of viral respiratory infections like SARS-CoV-2. While systemic immune responses against the SARS-2-CoV-2 have been studied in children, there is no information on mucosal antibody response, especially in the lower respiratory tract of children coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and post-infectious multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Therefore, we evaluated neutralizing antibody responses in paired plasma and endotracheal aspirates of pediatric severe, acute COVID-19 or MIS-C patients against SARS-CoV-2 WA1/2020, as well as against variants of concern (VOCs). Neutralizing antibody responses against the SARS-CoV-2 WA1/2020 strain in pediatric plasma were 2-fold or 35-fold higher compared with the matched endotracheal aspirate in COVID-19 or MIS-C patients, respectively. In contrast to plasma, neutralizing antibody responses against the VOCs and variants of interest (VOIs) in endotracheal aspirates were lower, with only one endotracheal aspirate demonstrating neutralizing titers against the Iota, Kappa, Beta, Gamma, and Omicron variants. In conclusion, our findings suggest that children and adolescents with severe COVID-19 or MIS-C have weak mucosal neutralizing antibodies in the trachea against circulating SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and other VOCs, which may have implications for recovery and for re-infection with emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systemic and Lower Respiratory Tract Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Variants in Pediatric Severe COVID-19 and Mis-C

et al. 2022

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“…A related study in South Africa showed that children infected with the Omicron variant had higher hospitalization rates than those infected with other VOCs 29 . In Berlin, the number of children infected with the Omicron variant drastically increased 27 . It is possible that mutations, low vaccination rates, previous waves of VOCs infection, immunodeficiency, and other factors have led to increased hospitalization rates in children infected with Omicron variants 28,170 In the United States, the severity of infection in children (under 5 years old) were significantly lower during the Omicron variant wave than during the Delta variant wave 26 .…”

Section: Prophylaxis and Treatment Of Omicron Variantmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Compared with Delta, hospitalization duration for patients infected with Omicron was likewise declining 25 . Studies find that people infected with Omicron tend to be younger 23,26,27 . The Scottish report also mentioned that 48.9% of Omicron cases were between 20 and 39 years old (https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/severity-of-omicron-variant-of-concern-and-vaccine-effectiveness [July 15, 2022]).…”

Section: Characteristics Of the Omicron Variantmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…25 Studies find that people infected with Omicron tend to be younger. 23,26,27 The Scottish report also mentioned that 48.9% of Omicron cases were between 20 and 39 years old (https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/severityof-omicron-variant-of-concern-and-vaccine-effectiveness [ July 15, 2022]). In addition, children may be more susceptible to Omicron than variants preceding it.…”

Section: The Severity Of the Disease Caused By Omicron Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sub‐lineages of the SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron variants: Characteristics and prevention

Hong

Lou

et al. 2022

MedComm

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Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) have emerged, accelerating the spread of the virus. Omicron was defined by the World Health Organization in November 2021 as the fifth “variant of concern” after Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. In recent months, Omicron has become the main epidemic strain. Studies have shown that Omicron carries more mutations than Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and wild‐type, facilitating immune escape and accelerating its transmission. This review focuses on the Omicron variant's origin, transmission, main biological features, subvariants, mutations, immune escape, vaccination, and detection methods. We also discuss the appropriate preventive and therapeutic measures that should be taken to address the new challenges posed by the Omicron variant. This review is valuable to guide the surveillance, prevention, and development of vaccines and other therapies for Omicron variants. It is desirable to develop a more efficient vaccine against the Omicron variant and take more effective measures to constrain the spread of the epidemic and promote public health.

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Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac vaccines against omicron in children aged 5 to 11 years

Oliveira

Silva

et al. 2023

World J Pediatr

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Background This study aimed to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) against omicron variant infection and severe corona virus disease 2019 in children aged 5-11 years hospitalized with acute respiratory syndrome. Methods A test-negative, case-control analysis was conducted from February 2022 to June 2022. We enrolled 6950 eligible children, including 1102 cases and 5848 controls. VE was calculated after immunization with one and two doses of BNT162b2 or CoronaVac. The outcomes were hospitalization with acute respiratory symptoms and detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and severe COVID-19. The adjusted odds ratio for the association of prior vaccination and outcomes was used to estimate VE. Results For fully vaccinated children, the overall estimated VE against hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection was 42% [95% confidence interval (CI) 26 to 54]. VE peaked at 29-42 days (67%, 95% CI 40% to 82%) and then declined to 19% (95% CI, − 20% to 45%) at 57-120 days after the second dose. The BNT162b2 vaccine had a similar VE against hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection (45%, 95% CI, 20 to 61) compared to the CoronaVac vaccine (40%, 95% CI, 17% to 56%). Among cases, 56 (5%) children died; 53 (94.6%) were not fully vaccinated. For cases, the two-dose schedule effectiveness against ICU admission, need for invasive ventilation, severe illness, and death were 10% (95% CI, − 54%-45%), 22% (95% CI − 70%-68%), 12% (95% CI, − 62%-52%), and 16% (95% CI, − 77%-75%), respectively. Conclusions For hospitalized children aged 5-11 years during the omicron-predominant period in Brazil, two doses of both vaccines had moderate effectiveness against hospitalization with acute respiratory symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 infection and offered limited protection against endpoints of COVID-19 severity.

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Role of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in children in Germany

Cited by 11 publications

References 12 publications

Systemic and Lower Respiratory Tract Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Variants in Pediatric Severe COVID-19 and Mis-C

Systemic and Lower Respiratory Tract Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and Variants in Pediatric Severe COVID-19 and Mis-C

Sub‐lineages of the SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron variants: Characteristics and prevention

Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac vaccines against omicron in children aged 5 to 11 years

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