SARS-CoV-2 transmission among children and staff in daycare centres during a nationwide lockdown in France: a cross-sectional, multicentre, seroprevalence study

Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2021 Apr;5(4):256-264. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(21)00024-9. Epub 2021 Feb 8.

Abstract

Background: The extent to which very young children contribute to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is unclear. We aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in daycare centres that remained open for key workers' children during a nationwide lockdown in France.

Methods: Children and staff who attended one of 22 daycare centres during a nationwide lockdown in France (between March 15 and May 9, 2020) were included in this cross-sectional, multicentre, seroprevalence study. Hospital staff not occupationally exposed to patients with COVID-19, or to children, were enrolled in a comparator group. The primary outcome was SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children, daycare centre staff, and the comparator group. The presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in capillary whole blood was measured with a rapid chromatographic immunoassay. We computed raw prevalence as the percentage of individuals with a positive IgG or IgM test, and used Bayesian smoothing to account for imperfect sensitivity and specificity of the assay. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04413968.

Findings: Between June 4 and July 3, 2020, we enrolled 327 children (mean age 1·9 [SD 0·9] years; range 5 months to 4·4 years), 197 daycare centre staff (mean age 40 [12] years), and 164 adults in the comparator group (42 [12] years). Positive serological tests were observed for 14 children (raw seroprevalence 4·3%; 95% CI 2·6-7·1) and 14 daycare centre staff (7·7%; 4·2-11·6). After accounting for imperfect sensitivity and specificity of the assay, we estimated that 3·7% (95% credible interval [95% CrI] 1·3-6·8) of the children and 6·8% (3·2-11·5) of daycare centre staff had SARS-CoV-2 infection. The comparator group fared similarly to the daycare centre staff; nine participants had a positive serological test (raw seroprevalence 5·5%; 95% CI 2·9-10·1), leading to a seroprevalence of 5·0% (95% CrI 1·6-9·8) after accounting for assay characteristics. An exploratory analysis suggested that seropositive children were more likely than seronegative children to have been exposed to an adult household member with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 (six [43%] of 14 vs 19 [6%] of 307; relative risk 7·1 [95% CI 2·2-22·4]).

Interpretation: According to serological test results, the proportion of young children in our sample with SARS-CoV-2 infection was low. Intrafamily transmission seemed more plausible than transmission within daycare centres. Further epidemiological studies are needed to confirm this exploratory hypothesis.

Funding: Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris; Mairie de Paris, Conseil Départemental de Seine Saint Denis.

Translations: For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • COVID-19 / transmission*
  • Child Day Care Centers*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • France / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Immunoglobulin M / blood
  • Infant
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology*
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin M

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04413968