Teens with COVID-19 are 3 times more likely to need hospitalization than those with flu, study claims

The coronavirus is more dangerous for children and adolescents than previously thought, as recent studies show.

According to Medportal.ru, to compare the need for hospitalization among adolescents in connection with coronavirus and influenza, specialists used data from the FluSurv-NET surveillance system in 13 states. They collected information on inpatient care for children 12-17 years old with confirmed COVID-19 and compared it with rates of three seasonal flu outbreaks starting in 2017.

The analysis showed that the cumulative rate of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 between October 1 of last year and April 2021 was 2.5 to 3 times higher than in the previous three flu seasons.

Data on adolescents' treatment progress were presented as total rates per 100,000 population per week. It turned out that there are, on average, 35 or more COVID-19-related hospitalizations per 100,000 people in children in this age group. At the same time, during the influenza epidemic in previous years, this figure was 15. The authors of the study noted that complications due to coronavirus infection in adolescents are detected much more often than in influenza, even taking into account numerous restrictions, including distance learning.

Without these measures, the rate of hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 could be significantly higher, the scientists said.

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