Title
Roles of Children and Adolescents in COVID-19 Transmission in the Community: A Retrospective Analysis of Nationwide Data in Japan
Date Issued
10 August 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Imamura T.
Ko Y.K.
Imamura T.
Otani K.
Akaba H.
Ninomiya K.
Furuse Y.
Miyahara R.
Sando E.
Yasuda I.
Tsuchiya N.
Suzuki M.
Oshitani H.
Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
Publisher(s)
Frontiers Media S.A.
Abstract
Background: Roles of children and adolescents in spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the community is not fully understood. Methods: We analyzed the data of 7,758 children and adolescents with COVID-19 and characteristics of secondary transmission generated by these cases using case information published by local governments. Ratio of pediatric and adolescent cases generating secondary transmission was calculated for various social settings. Results: The incidence of COVID-19 was 24.8 cases per 105 population aged between 0 and 9 years, and 59.2 among those aged between 10 and 19 years, which was lower than that among individuals of all age groups (79.6 per 105 population) between January 15 and October 31, 2020. The proportion of cases generating secondary cases was 8.3% among infants and young children in nursery schools and kindergartens, 16% among children and adolescents attending primary schools, 34% among those attending junior high schools, 43% among those attending high schools, 31% among those attending professional training colleges, and 24% in those attending universities. Households were the most common setting for secondary transmission. Conclusion: The risk of generating secondary cases might be limited among pediatric and adolescent cases with COVID-19, especially in settings outside households. Effectiveness of traditional mitigation measures (e.g., school closures) to suppress COVID-19 transmissions should be carefully evaluated.
Volume
9
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Epidemiología Pediatría
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85113560873
Source
Frontiers in Pediatrics
ISSN of the container
22962360
Sponsor(s)
This work was supported by MHLW Health and Labour Sciences Research Grants Program Grant Number JPMH20HA2007, and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development Grant Number JP19fk0108104 and JP20fk0108140.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus