Virological Characteristics of Hospitalized Children With SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, virological characteristics and correlation with disease severity have not been extensively studied. The primary objective in this study is to determine the correlation between SARS-CoV-2 viral load (VL) in infected children with age, disease severity, and underlying comorbidities. METHODS: Children RESULTS: Of the 102 children included in this study, 44% of the cohort had asymptomatic infection, and children with >1 comorbidity were the most at risk for severe disease. VL in children with symptomatic infection was significantly higher than in children with asymptomatic infection (3.0 × 105 vs 7.2 × 103 copies per mL; P = .001). VL in the respiratory tract was significantly higher in children CONCLUSIONS: In hospitalized children with SARS-CoV-2, those with >1 comorbid condition experienced severe disease. SARS-CoV-2 VL in the respiratory tract is significantly higher in children with symptomatic disease and children