COVID-19 has become the eighth most common cause of death among children in the United States, according to a study released Monday. Children are significantly less likely to die from COVID-19 than any other age group, with fewer than 1 percent of all deaths since the start of the pandemic have been among those under the age of 18, according to i federal data. But children rarely die for any reason, the researchers wrote, so the burden of COVID-19 is best understood in the context of pediatric deaths. In 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, the leading causes of death among children and young adults 0 to 19 years included perinatal conditions, unintentional injury, congenital malformations or deformities, assault, suicide, malignancies, heart disease, and influenza and pneumonia. The researchers’ analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that there were 821 deaths from COVID-19 in this age group during a 12-month period from August 2021 to July 2022. That rate mortality rate – about 1 per 100,000 children aged 0-19 – ranks eighth compared to 2019 data. It ranks fifth among adolescents aged 15-19. COVID-19 deaths replace influenza and pneumonia, becoming the leading cause of death from any infectious or respiratory disease. It has historically caused “substantially” more deaths than any vaccine-preventable disease, the researchers wrote. According to data from the CDC, children are less vaccinated than any other age group in the United States. and over 90% of children under 5 are not fully vaccinated. The findings of the new study, published in JAMA Network Open, may underestimate the death burden of COVID-19 because the analysis focuses on deaths in which COVID-19 was an underlying cause of death but not those in which it may have been a contributing factor, the researchers wrote. Additionally, other analyzes of excess deaths suggest that deaths from COVID-19 have been underreported. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, researchers say intervention methods such as vaccination and ventilation “will continue to play an important role in limiting transmission of the virus and mitigating severe disease.”
COVID-19 has become the eighth most common cause of death among children in the United States, according to a study released Monday.
Children are significantly less likely to die from COVID-19 than any other age group: Less than 1 percent of all deaths since the start of the pandemic have been among those under the age of 18, according to federal data .
But it’s rare for babies to die for any reason, the researchers wrote, so the burden of COVID-19 is best understood in the context of other pediatric deaths.
In 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, the leading causes of death among children and young adults aged 0-19 included perinatal illness, unintentional injury, congenital malformation or deformity, assault, suicide, malignancy, of the heart and flu and pneumonia.
The researchers’ analysis of data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that there were 821 COVID-19 deaths in this age group during a 12-month period from August 2021 to July 2022. That rate of mortality – about 1 for every 100,000 children aged 0 to 19, ranked eighth compared to 2019 data. It ranked fifth among adolescents aged 15 to 19.
COVID-19 deaths replace influenza and pneumonia, becoming the leading cause of death from any infectious or respiratory disease. It caused “substantially” more deaths than any historically vaccine-preventable disease, the researchers wrote.
According to data from the CDC, children are less vaccinated than any other age group in the United States. Fewer than 10% of eligible children have received the updated booster dose and more than 90% of children under 5 are completely unvaccinated.
Findings from the new study, published in JAMA Network Open, may underestimate the death burden of COVID-19 because the analysis focuses on deaths in which COVID-19 was an underlying cause of death but not those in which it may have been a contributing factor, the researchers wrote. Additionally, other analyzes of excess deaths suggest that deaths from COVID-19 have been underreported.
As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, researchers say intervention methods such as vaccination and ventilation “will continue to play an important role in limiting transmission of the virus and mitigating severe disease.”
