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. 2020 Dec 18;69(50):1925–1929. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6950e3

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.

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