The Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Children During Early COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea: A Nationwide, Population-Based Study.
J Korean Med Sci
; 37(44): e314, 2022 Nov 14.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2115730
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is often asymptomatic and associated with mild clinical symptoms in children. Social distancing measures have led to a relatively small number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Korea than in other countries in the earlier pandemic phase. Previous seroprevalence studies in Korean adults before the introduction of COVID-19 vaccination campaign have shown a low antibody positivity rate. However, data on COVID-19 seroprevalence in Korean children remained scarce. In this study, we assessed the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children in Korea.METHODS:
Between December 2020 and March 2021, stratified serum samples were collected from children aged 0-18 years in 17 different regions across the country. The SARS-CoV-2 antibody test was conducted using an electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) to detect the antibodies against nucleocapsid antigens of SARS-CoV-2. Samples that tested positive using the ECLIA were reflexed to an additional plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) for SARS-CoV-2.RESULTS:
A total of 1,887 samples were collected. Excluding 21 samples collected from regional medical centers, 1,866 samples were included in the final analysis. Two samples (0.11%) were positive for the antibodies against nucleocapsid antigens of SARS-CoV-2. Both samples were shown to have neutralizing antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 via PRNT.CONCLUSION:
After 1 year since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Korean children was 0.11%, which was lower than the adults (0.52%) in another study conducted during a similar period. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Korea was lower than those of other countries, which was presumed to be the consequence of a very strong social distancing measures.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pandemics
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Vaccines
Limits:
Adult
/
Child
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
J Korean Med Sci
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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