SARS-CoV-2 immunity gap among schoolchildren and teachers in the summer of 2022

Armann, Jakob; Blankenburg, Judith; Czyborra, Paula; Doenhardt, Maren; Horst, Theresa S; Schneider, Josephine; Gano, Christin; Berner, Reinhard

doi:10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0307

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…For this reason, it has a positive impact on hospitalization rates in previously uninfected children [ 13 ]. However, in the aftermath of the Omicron wave, along with the launch of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Germany, the remaining number of immune-naïve children has become minimal [ 14 ]. On this basis, we anticipate that an Omicron wave in fall 2022 is even less likely to pose a significant burden on the hospital system than did the previous wave.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany

Doenhardt

Gano

Sorg

et al. 2022

Viruses

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(1) Background: When the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in Germany in January 2022, data on related disease severity among children and adolescents were not yet available. Given Omicron’s high transmissibility, the ability to assess its impact on admission and hospitalization rates in children’s hospitals is critical for the purpose of understanding the scope of its burden on the German healthcare system. (2) Methods: From 24 January 2022 to 31 July 2022, SARS-CoV-2 cases admitted to German pediatric hospitals were monitored via a national, clinician-led reporting system (CLRS) established by the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI). Cases treated on general wards and intensive care units, as well as patient age and the need for respiratory support, were recorded. (3) Results: From January to July 2022, a median of 1.7 cases (range 0.4–3) per reporting pediatric hospital per day was hospitalized in general wards, whereas a median of 0.1 cases (range 0–0.4 cases) was admitted to intensive care units. Of all hospitalized patients, 4.2% received respiratory support. (4) Conclusions: Despite the high incidence rates documented in connection with the Omicron variant in early 2022, the number of pediatric hospital admissions, and especially the number of cases with the need for intensive care treatment and respiratory support due to symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, remained relatively low. Higher Omicron incidence rates had only a modest impact on SARS-CoV-2-related admissions and hospitalization in German children’s hospitals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany

Doenhardt

Gano

Sorg

et al. 2022

Viruses

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“…Since winter 2021/2022, the Omicron variant also spread rapidly in the pediatric population because of its increased transmissibility [ 5 , 6 ]. Thus, during the Omicron surge, high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rates were detected in children and adolescents in Germany (2–6 years: 70%, 14–17 years: 92% [ 6 – 8 ]), Switzerland (0–5 years: 76.7%, 6–11 years: 90.5% [ 9 ]), Italy (2–11 years: 57% [ 10 ]) and Ireland (1–4 years: 28.8%, 5–12 years: 43.5% [ 11 ]). However, compared with the Delta variant [ 12 , 13 ], Omicron-associated illness was less severe and frequently asymptomatic, particularly in children younger than 5 years [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 sero-immunity and quality of life in children and adolescents in relation to infections and vaccinations: the IMMUNEBRIDGE KIDS cross-sectional study, 2022

Engels,

Oechsle,

Schlegtendal

et al. 2023

Infection

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Purpose The study evaluates the effects on sero-immunity, health status and quality of life of children and adolescents after the upsurge of the Omicron variant in Germany. Methods This multicenter cross-sectional study (IMMUNEBRIDGE Kids) was conducted within the German Network University Medicine (NUM) from July to October 2022. SARS-CoV-2- antibodies were measured and data on SARS-CoV-2 infections, vaccinations, health and socioeconomic factors as well as caregiver-reported evaluation on their children’s health and psychological status were assessed. Results 497 children aged 2–17 years were included. Three groups were analyzed: 183 pre-schoolchildren aged 2–4 years, 176 schoolchildren aged 5–11 years and 138 adolescents aged 12–18 years. Positive antibodies against the S- or N-antigen of SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 86.5% of all participants (70.0% [128/183] of pre-schoolchildren, 94.3% of schoolchildren [166/176] and 98.6% of adolescents [136/138]). Among all children, 40.4% (201/497) were vaccinated against COVID-19 (pre-schoolchildren 4.4% [8/183], schoolchildren 44.3% [78/176] and adolescents 83.3% [115/138]). SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was lowest in pre-school. Health status and quality of life reported by the parents were very positive at the time of the survey (Summer 2022). Conclusion Age-related differences on SARS-CoV-2 sero-immunity could mainly be explained by differences in vaccination rates based on the official German vaccination recommendations as well as differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in the different age groups. Health status and quality of life of almost all children were very good independent of SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination. Trial registration German Registry for Clinical Trials Identifier Würzburg: DRKS00025546 (registration: 11.09.2021), Bochum: DRKS00022434 (registration:07.08.2020), Dresden: DRKS 00022455 (registration: 23.07.2020).

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Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany

Doenhardt¹,

Gano²,

Sorg³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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(1) Background: When the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in Germany in January 2022, data on related disease severity among children and adolescents was not yet available. Given Omicron’s high transmissibility, the ability to assess its impact on admission and hospitalization rates in children’s hospitals is critical for the purpose of understanding the scope of its burden on the German health care system. (2) Methods: From January 24, 2022 to July 31, 2022, SARS-CoV-2 cases admitted to German pediatric hospitals were monitored via a national, clinician-led reporting system (CLRS) established by the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI). Cases treated on general wards and intensive care units, as well as patient age and need for respiratory support were recorded. (3) Results: From January to July 2022, a median of 1.7 cases (range 0.4–3) per reporting pediatric hospital per day were hospitalized on general wards, whereas a median of 0.1 cases (range 0–0.4 cases) were on intensive care units. Of all hospitalized patients, 4.2% received respiratory support. (4) Conclusions: Despite the high incidence rates documented in connection with the Omicron variant in early 2022, the number of pediatric hospital admissions, and especially the number of cases with need for intensive care treatment and respiratory support due to a symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, remained relatively low. Higher Omicron incidence rates had only a modest impact on SARS-CoV-2-related admissions and hospitalization in German children’s hospitals.

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SARS-CoV-2 immunity gap among schoolchildren and teachers in the summer of 2022

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany

Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany

SARS-CoV-2 sero-immunity and quality of life in children and adolescents in relation to infections and vaccinations: the IMMUNEBRIDGE KIDS cross-sectional study, 2022

Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany

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