An international study examining Covid-19 severity on hospitalised children and adolescents has found as the virus became more infectious, intensive care admissions dropped across multiple age groups regardless of vaccination status.
The study – led by researcher Yanshan Zhu from The Kids Research Institute Australia and the University of Queensland – examined 31,000 children across nine countries to investigate the impact of the SARS-COV-2 variant according to age-group, across the course of the pandemic.
Results, published this week in JAMA Pediatrics, revealed age-related response differences with children under five years experiencing fewer intensive care admissions, but those admitted still needed ventilation support or oxygen therapy.
In contrast, children aged five to 18 years experienced reduced intervention across intensive care admission, ventilation support and oxygen therapy.
Results were consistent for vaccinated and unvaccinated children.
Co-author Associate Professor Asha Bowen from the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccination and Infectious Diseases, based at The Kids Research Institute Australia, said it was vital to include age as an important factor to fully understand the severity of the virus in hospitalised children.
“There were multiple Covid-19 variants that emerged over the course of the pandemic and until now, the implications of the SARS COV-2 variants for children have been relatively unclear,” Associate Professor Bowen said.
The ability to analyse childhood hospitalisations by different countries, variants and age groups, showed as the variant became more transmissible and more children were infected, the disease also became less severe for older children
“However, for the youngest cohort, while there were fewer in intensive care, those admitted still had high oxygen and ventilatory support requirements showing the disease responses were not uniform across age groups.”
Associate Professor Bowen said as future variants emerge, the study’s methodology can be replicated to advance further work.
Findings can inform future intervention research and public health policy to deal with future SARS COV-2 waves.
Journal article: How did COVID-19 severity in kids change as the pandemic progressed?
Further information about the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccination and Infectious Diseases is available here.
*This multi-centre, international study involved collaborators from universities and health settings across the world and was one of the first opportunities to better understand COVID-19 hospitalisations in children.