Seroprevalence in children

The number of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Mississippi could be 13 times higher than reported, according to a seroprevalence study in MMWR. Researchers performed SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing on some 1600 residual serum samples that were collected in Mississippi for routine testing between May and September 2020. All were from patients under age 18 years. Roughly 11% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Seropositivity increased from 2.5% in May to 16.3% in September. Overall, Hispanic children were most likely to test positive, followed by Black children. After extrapolating the findings to the state’s population, the researchers estimated that nearly 114,000 children in Mississippi might have been infected by mid-September, whereas fewer than 9000 pediatric cases had been reported through the end of August.

MMWR article on seroprevalence in children