An epidemiological study of pediatric COVID-19 in the era of the variant of concern

BACKGROUND: There were limited epidemiological data of pediatric COVID-19 in Asia outside China, especially during the era of the variants of concern such as the Delta and Alpha variants. The objective was to describe the clinical epidemiology of pediatric COVID-19 in a tertiary care center in Thailand from April to August 2021. The identification of risk factors for the development of pneumonia in these children was also performed. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted by retrospective chart review of all children aged 0–15 years admitted to Thammasat University Hospital care system during the study period. The risk factors for the development of pneumonia were analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 698 children were included for analysis, of which 52% were male. The mean age of the cohort was 7.2 + 4.5 years old. Radiographic pneumonia was identified in 100 children (14.3%) and a total of 16 children (2.3%) were diagnosed with severe and critical diseases. The mortality rate was 0.1%. Children younger than 1 year and children with comorbidity were at higher risk of developing pneumonia (Adjusted odds ratios 2.99 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.56–5.74) and 2.32 (95% CI: 1.15–4.67), respectively). CONCLUSION: In the era of the variants of concern, the proportion of children with severe and critical diseases remained low. However, prudence must be taken in caring for younger children and children with comorbidity.