The first 1000 symptomatic pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infections in an integrated health care system: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: The spectrum of illness and predictors of severity among children with SARS-CoV-2 infection are incompletely understood. METHODS: Active surveillance was performed for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction among symptomatic pediatric patients in a quaternary care academic hospital laboratory beginning March 12, 2020. We obtained sociodemographic and clinical data 5 (+/-3) and 30 days after diagnosis via phone follow-up and medical record review. Logistic regression was used to assess predictors of hospitalization. RESULTS: The first 1000 symptomatic pediatric patients were diagnosed in our institution between March 13, 2020 and September 28, 2020. Cough (52 %), headache (43 %), and sore throat (36 %) were the most common symptoms. Forty-one (4 %) were hospitalized; 8 required ICU admission, and 2 required mechanical ventilation (< 1 %). One patient developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children; one death was possibly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Symptom resolution occurred by follow-up day 5 in 398/892 (45 %) patients and by day 30 in 443/471 (94 %) patients. Pre-existing medical condition (OR 7.7; 95 % CI 3.9–16.0), dyspnea (OR 6.8; 95 % CI 3.2–14.1), Black race or Hispanic ethnicity (OR 2.7; 95 % CI 1.3–5.5), and vomiting (OR 5.4; 95 % CI 1.2–20.6) were the strongest predictors of hospitalization. The model displayed excellent discriminative ability (AUC = 0.82, 95 % CI 0.76–0.88, Brier score = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In 1000 pediatric patients with systematic follow-up, most SARS-CoV-2 infections were mild, brief, and rarely required hospitalization. Pediatric predictors of hospitalization included comorbid conditions, Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, dyspnea and vomiting and were distinct from those reported among adults. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-021-02863-1.