Analysis of the COVID-19 prevalence among children in Ukraine during the first year of the pandemic

Abstract

Background. Studying COVID-19 prevalence among children is important for constant monitoring of the epidemiological situation, determination of the most vulnerable categories of children, and planning preventive measures. The aim of our research was a retrospective study of COVID-19 prevalence among children of Ukraine in 2020. Materials and methods. A retrospective study of COVID-19 prevalence among children from different regions of Ukraine was conducted, based on official statistical reports of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The prevalence of COVID-19 was measured as the number of cases per 100,000 children. Results. Among the population of Ukraine, children with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection amounted to 0.12 %, and among the children’s population of Ukraine — 0.7 %, while the prevalence rate reached 688.64. The incidence of COVID-19 among children in 2020 was highest in Kyiv, Chernivtsi, and Zaporizhzhia regions, and the lowest one was recorded in Kirovohrad, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions. In the age structure of Ukrainian children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, adolescents (63.8 %) prevailed. Conclusions. Adolescents were the age group of children most vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 in Ukraine. The relatively low COVID-19 prevalence among children in Ukraine may be evidence of underdiagnosis due to insufficient coverage of laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first year of the pandemic.