Almost 50-70% of children 'below 19' are still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, says study 

A new study has revealed that the world needs better vaccines and vaccination campaigns as 50 to 70 per cent of kids below the age of 19 were vulnerable to SARS-Cov-2 in 2021 before the Omicron wave.The study said, "Findings indicate that, by the end of 2021 and before the Omicron wave, around 50-70 per cent of children globally were still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, clearly emphasising the need for more effective vaccines and better vaccination coverage among children and adolescents, particularly in developing countries and minority ethnic groups."

It additionally discovered that the global seroprevalence estimates varied from the first wave at 7.3 per cent to the fifth wave at 37.6 per cent and 56.6 per cent in the sixth wave.

Seroprevalence is referred to the number of children who tested positive for specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, using a well-designated threshold, divided by the number of children tested.

It was found that the highest level of seroprevalence was found for South East Asia 17.9 to 81.8 per cent and the lowest was for the Western Pacific region between 0.01 and 1.01 per cent.

The study said that the scientists conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in which they searched in international and pre-printed scientific databases from December 2019 to July 10 2022.

The study comprised of 247 publications containing almost 302 datasets totalling 757,075 kids from 70 countries and six regions specified by the WHO.

According to the study, 144 datasets were from Europe, while 14 were from Western Pacific.

The pre-Omicron time combined with worries about the vaccine safety of children resulted in poor vaccine campaigns.

The study said that with the emergence of Omicron, an increased number of children who needextra critical care has beenobserved in developed countries such as the US, England and Germany, with sufficient vaccine supplies.

Scientists said, "We aimed to provide estimates for the proportion of children with detectable antibodies and to identify sources of heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children for various regions of the world".

(With inputs from agencies)

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