Under-diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections among children aged 0-15 years, a nationwide seroprevalence study, Israel, January 2020 to March 2021

Euro Surveill. 2021 Dec;26(48):2101040. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.48.2101040.

Abstract

Until recently, children and adolescents were not eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. They may have been a considerable source of SARS-CoV-2 spread. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody seroprevalence in Israeli children aged 0-15 years from January 2020 to March 2021. Seropositivity was 1.8-5.5 times higher than COVID-19 incidence rates based on PCR testing. We found that SARS-CoV-2 infection among children is more prevalent than previously thought and emphasise the importance of seroprevalence studies to accurately estimate exposure.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; SARS-CoV-2; seroprevalence study.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • COVID-19*
  • Child
  • Humans
  • Israel / epidemiology
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • COVID-19 Vaccines