People below 20 years of age have had a low mortality rate from COVID, according to a new study.
Cause of death among those with a positive COVID test has been examined by Marta Bertran of the UK Health Security Agency, London, and colleagues.
They analysed multiple national datasets to view outcomes for all those below 20 years who died within 100 days of a laboratory-confirmed positive test from March 2020 to December 2021 in England.
Among the participants there were 185 deaths over the 22 month follow-up. Of these, 44% were deemed to be due to COVID. This represents 1.2% of all deaths in this age group during this period.
The risk of death was linked to being older in this age group, and to having underlying comorbidities. Results appeared in PLoS Medicine yesterday.
The authors report: "Half the COVID deaths occurred within seven days of confirmation of infection, and 91% within 30 days.
"Of the COVID deaths, 75% had an underlying condition, especially severe neurodisability and immunocompromising conditions."
The team write: "COVID-19 deaths remain extremely rare in children and young people, with most fatalities occurring within 30 days of infection and in children with specific underlying conditions."
Co-author Dr Shamez Ladhani added: “Our national surveillance in England continues to show a very very low risk of death due to COVID-19 in children and teenagers, with most fatalities occurring in those with multiple and life-limiting underlying conditions.”
Bertran, M. et al. COVID-19 deaths in children and young people in England, March 2020 to December 2021: An active prospective national surveillance study. PLoS Medicine 8 November 2022 doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004118
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