Systematic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Screening at Hospital Admission in Children: A French Prospective Multicenter Study

Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jun 15;72(12):2215-2217. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1044.

Abstract

To assess the relevance of systematic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) screening of all children admitted to hospital, we conducted a prospective multicenter study including 438 consecutive hospitalized children. A symptom-based SARS-CoV-2 testing strategy failed to identify 45% (95% confidence interval, 24%-68%) of hospitalized children infected by SARS-CoV-2. To limit intrahospital transmission, a systematic screening of children admitted to hospital should be considered.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 infection; children; intra-hospital transmission; systematic screening.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 Testing
  • COVID-19*
  • Child
  • Hospitals
  • Humans
  • Prospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2*