COVID‐19 among children seeking primary paediatric care with signs of an acute infection

AIM: It can be challenging to distinguish COVID‐19 in children from other common infections. We set out to determine the rate at which children consulting a primary care paediatrician with an acute infection are infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 and to compare distinct findings. METHOD: In seven out‐patient clinics, children aged 0–13 years with any new respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms and presumed infection were invited to be tested for SARS‐CoV‐2. Factors that were correlated with testing positive were determined. Samples were collected from 25 January 2021 to 01 April 2021. RESULTS: Seven hundred and eighty‐three children participated in the study (median age 3 years and 0 months, range 1 month to 12 years and 11 months). Three hundred and fifty‐eight were female (45.7%). SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA was detected in 19 (2.4%). The most common symptoms in children with as well as without detectable SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA were rhinitis, fever and cough. Known recent exposure to a case of COVID‐19 was significantly correlated with testing positive, but symptoms or clinical findings were not. CONCLUSION: COVID‐19 among the children with symptoms of an acute infection was uncommon, and the clinical presentation did not differ significantly between children with and without evidence of an infection with SARS‐CoV‐2.