Clinical characteristics of COVID‐19 in children: Are they similar to those of SARS?

Leung, Char

Although the number of SARS‐CoV‐2 infections has been rising amid the current pandemic of COVID‐19, the low infection rate of SARS‐CoV‐2 in children has been low. By examining the clinical data available in the public domain, the present work clarifies the clinical presentations in children with COVID‐19 in China. Statistical significance tests and adjusted odds ratios estimation were performed on the children (age below 18) and adults (age 18 or above) cohorts in China. SARS‐CoV and SARS‐CoV‐2 shared similar clinical features. Lower respiratory tract infection was less prominent in children as evidenced by the relatively low prevalence in chest pain/discomfort and dyspnea. Similar to SARS, younger children had a less aggressive clinical course, compared with adolescents. While fewer symptoms were observed in children compared to adults, there is not yet sufficient evidence to conclude shorter hospital stay in children.