Low SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in asymptomatic children during the first year of the pandemic: A French retrospective study

Background: Since the beginning of the pandemic, children's role in the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been debated. We aimed to describe the prevalence of SARSCoV-2 in asymptomatic children undergoing institutional systematic screening. Methods: From 2020 to 2021, this retrospective study in a French university hospital included consecutive asymptomatic children routinely screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay before surgery. Results: Among the 816 test samples, the prevalence of positive PCR results was 0.49 % (95 % CI: 0.01-0.97, n = 4); half of the cases involved close contacts with an adult case. Conclusion: These results support the low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic children during the first pandemic periods in France. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of French Society of Pediatrics.