TABLE. Characteristics of children and adolescents aged <18 years who received positive and negative SARS-CoV-2 test results (N = 397)* — Mississippi, September–November 2020.
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
P-value† | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case-patients |
Control-participants |
||
| (n = 154) | (n = 243) | ||
|
Age group, yrs
|
0.17 |
||
| <4 |
38 (25) |
44 (18) |
|
| 4–8 |
28 (18) |
62 (26) |
|
| 9–14 |
60 (39) |
101 (42) |
|
| 15–17 |
28 (18) |
36 (15) |
|
|
Sex
|
0.32 |
||
| Male |
68 (44) |
115 (47) |
|
| Female |
86 (56) |
128 (53) |
|
|
Race/Ethnicity (missing = 20)
|
0.15 |
||
| Black, non-Hispanic |
92 (62) |
125 (55) |
|
| Hispanic |
4 (3) |
2 (1) |
|
| Other, non-Hispanic |
2 (1) |
7 (3) |
|
| White, non-Hispanic |
50 (34) |
95 (41) |
|
|
Clinical setting
|
0.97 |
||
| Emergency department |
34 (22) |
54 (22) |
|
| Outpatient |
120 (78) |
189 (78) |
|
|
Reason for SARS-CoV-2 testing§
| |||
| Felt unwell |
86 (56) |
123 (51) |
0.31 |
| Close contact with COVID-19 case |
101 (66) |
99 (41) |
<0.01 |
| Required for school/day care |
1 (1) |
14 (6) |
0.01 |
|
Previous close contact with a person with known COVID-19 (missing = 10)
|
104 (69) |
100 (42) |
<0.01 |
|
Relationship to close contact with known COVID-19§ (n = 204)
| |||
| Family member |
67 (64) |
48 (48) |
0.02 |
| Friend |
8 (8) |
15 (15) |
0.10 |
| School classmate |
16 (15) |
27 (27) |
0.04 |
|
Household size, mean (SD)
|
4.5 (1.3) |
4.4 (1.5) |
0.21 |
|
Residence type (missing = 11)
|
0.37 |
||
| Single family home |
119 (78) |
196 (84) |
|
| Apartment building |
28 (18) |
31 (13) |
|
| Group home |
5 (3) |
7 (3) |
|
|
School or child care exposure ≤14 days before SARS-CoV-2 test¶ (missing = 7)
|
0.24 |
||
| In classroom or child care |
95 (62) |
161 (68) |
|
| At home |
58 (38) |
76 (32) |
|
|
Among participants attending school or child care (n = 256)¶
| |||
| Days per week, mean |
4.6 (0.9) |
4.5 (1.0) |
0.24 |
| Hybrid model with some days at home |
18 (19) |
36 (23) |
0.46 |
| >10 students per classroom |
60 (76) |
96 (72) |
0.45 |
| Indoor school activities |
17 (19) |
29 (19) |
1.00 |
|
Community exposure ≤14 days before SARS-CoV-2 test**
| |||
| Social gatherings |
17 (11) |
13 (6) |
0.04 |
| Sporting events or concerts |
26 (18) |
46 (20) |
0.62 |
| Religious services |
19 (13) |
42 (18) |
0.16 |
| Child gatherings (e.g., birthday parties, playdates) |
14 (9) |
9 (4) |
0.03 |
| Travel with others |
8 (5) |
7 (3) |
0.26 |
| Visitors in home |
61 (42) |
72 (31) |
0.05 |
| Restaurants |
29 (20) |
37 (16) |
0.35 |
| Household member working in health care with patient contact | 36 (24) | 50 (21) | 0.62 |
Abbreviations: COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; SD = standard deviation.
* Respondents who completed the interview and average of 32 days after their child’s test date.
† P-value for comparison of characteristics of case-patients with control participants using Fisher’s exact text or Pearson’s chi-squared test for categorical variables or Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous variables.
§ Parents could provide more than one response.
¶ Questions about school attendance and participation in athletics or school-related activities were “Did your child attend school in-person (all of the week, part of the week [part time virtual], none of the week [all virtual])” (missing = 6); “How many days per week did your child attend daycare/school outside the home?”; “On the days when the child attended daycare/school in person, was the classroom (less than half full (<5 students), more than half full (5-10 students), full (approximately 10 students), more than full (>10 students); responses were dichotomized as more than full (yes/no)”; “Did your child participate in any indoor school-related activities like choir, band, clubs, etc.?” (missing = 9); “Did your child participate in any indoor sports like basketball, volleyball, etc.?” (missing = 4). Attending school or child care was dichotomized as ≥1 day in the past 2 weeks or none. For affirmative responses about the child’s participation in sports or school-related activities, parents were asked to specify activities.
** Community exposure questions asked in reference to the 2 weeks before the child’s SARS-CoV-2 test were “Did your family/household attend any social gatherings with other people who do not live in your home (like weddings, funerals, parties, celebrations, etc.)?” (missing = 15); “Did your family/members of your household attend any sporting events or concerts?” (missing = 14); “Did your family/household attend meetings or religious services with 10 or more people who do not live with you?” (missing = 12); “Did your child attend any gatherings (10 or more children) outside of the home or school (like birthday parties, playdates, etc.)?” (missing = 14); “Did your family/household travel with any other people/families who do not live with you?” (missing = 10); “Did you receive visitors into your home?” (missing = 21); “Did your family/household eat in restaurants?” (missing = 21); “Are you or anyone in the household a health care provider that provides direct patient contact?” (missing = 10). For each affirmative response, respondents were asked if the activity took place inside or outside, if other persons at the event were masked (everyone, some, no one), and if social distancing was observed.