Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany

Maren Doenhardt
* ORCID logo ,
Christin Gano
,
Anna-Lisa Sorg
,
Natalie Diffloth
,
Tobias Tenenbaum
,
Rüdiger von Kries
,
Reinhard Berner
,
Jakob P. Armann
*
Version 1 : Received: 29 August 2022 / Approved: 30 August 2022 / Online: 30 August 2022 (09:00:24 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Doenhardt, M.; Gano, C.; Sorg, A.-L.; Diffloth, N.; Tenenbaum, T.; von Kries, R.; Berner, R.; Armann, J.P. Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany. Viruses 2022, 14, 2102. Doenhardt, M.; Gano, C.; Sorg, A.-L.; Diffloth, N.; Tenenbaum, T.; von Kries, R.; Berner, R.; Armann, J.P. Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany. Viruses 2022, 14, 2102.

Abstract

(1) Background: When the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in Germany in January 2022, data on related disease severity among children and adolescents was not yet available. Given Omicron’s high transmissibility, the ability to assess its impact on admission and hospitalization rates in children’s hospitals is critical for the purpose of understanding the scope of its burden on the German health care system. (2) Methods: From January 24, 2022 to July 31, 2022, SARS-CoV-2 cases admitted to German pediatric hospitals were monitored via a national, clinician-led reporting system (CLRS) established by the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI). Cases treated on general wards and intensive care units, as well as patient age and need for respiratory support were recorded. (3) Results: From January to July 2022, a median of 1.7 cases (range 0.4–3) per reporting pediatric hospital per day were hospitalized on general wards, whereas a median of 0.1 cases (range 0–0.4 cases) were on intensive care units. Of all hospitalized patients, 4.2% received respiratory support. (4) Conclusions: Despite the high incidence rates documented in connection with the Omicron variant in early 2022, the number of pediatric hospital admissions, and especially the number of cases with need for intensive care treatment and respiratory support due to a symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, remained relatively low. Higher Omicron incidence rates had only a modest impact on SARS-CoV-2-related admissions and hospitalization in German children’s hospitals.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; Omicron; children; hospitalization

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.