Universität zu Köln

Meyer, Meike ORCID: 0000-0002-5708-3981, Holfter, Anna, Ruebsteck, Esra, Gruell, Henning, Dewald, Felix, Koerner, Robert Walter, Klein, Florian, Lehmann, Clara, Huenseler, Christoph and Weber, Lutz Thorsten (2021). The Alpha Variant (B.1.1.7) of SARS-CoV-2 in Children: First Experience from 3544 Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests in a Cohort of Children in Germany. Viruses-Basel, 13 (8). BASEL: MDPI. ISSN 1999-4915

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

In May 2021, the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) of SARS-CoV-2 was found in 91% of the SARS-CoV-2 cases in Germany. Not much is known about the symptoms, courses of disease, and infectiousness in pediatric patients with the Alpha variant. Objective: The aim of this retrospective analysis was to gain information on the infection with the Alpha variant in children and adolescents. Methods: Between 12 January 2021 and 3 June 2021, all nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) of children who received a swab for SARS-CoV-2 were included. Data were collected on standardized questionnaires. The analysis of data was anonymized and retrospective. Results: We investigated 3544 NAATs; 95 children were tested positive (2.7%) for SARS-CoV-2. For the sub-analysis, 65 children were analyzed. In 59 children, the Alpha variant was found (90.8%), and 54.2% (n = 32/59) were symptomatic. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, and rhinitis. The median Ct value was 24.0 (min 17.0; max 32.7). Conclusions: We can underline early findings that children are still less effected by SARS-CoV-2 infection with the spread of the Alpha variant. We found no evidence that children infected with the Alpha variant showed more severe symptoms or suffered from a more severe clinical course than those infected with the wild type.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Meyer, Meike UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-5708-3981 UNSPECIFIED Holfter, Anna UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Ruebsteck, Esra UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Gruell, Henning UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Dewald, Felix UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Koerner, Robert Walter UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Klein, Florian UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Lehmann, Clara UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Huenseler, Christoph UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Weber, Lutz Thorsten UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-579447
DOI:	10.3390/v13081600
Journal or Publication Title:	Viruses-Basel
Volume:	13
Number:	8
Date:	2021
Publisher:	MDPI
Place of Publication:	BASEL
ISSN:	1999-4915
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language INFECTION Multiple languages Virology Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/57944