3 out of 4 US children have COVID-19

Medical staff check documents at a mobile COVID-19 testing center outside Pennsylvania train station in New York City, US on April 26 – Photo: REUTERS

According to Reuters news agency, the aforementioned study – by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention America (CDC) release – marks the first time more than half of the US population has been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 at least once and provides a detailed look at the impact of the increase cases of the Omicron variant in the US.

Before the Omicron variant hit the US in December 2021, at that time the evidence showed that about a third of the US population had COVID-19. The US population is more than 330 million people.

According to new data, the Omicron variant has increased the number of infections in all age groups, but children and adolescents (many of whom are still unvaccinated) have the highest rates of infection. Meanwhile, people 65 and older – the more vaccinated population – have the lowest rates of infection.

Between December 2021 and February 2022 (when the Omicron variant was raging in the US), 75.2% of children 11 and younger had antibodies related to COVID-19, up from 44 .2% in the previous 3-month period. Among 12-17 year olds, 74.2% carried antibodies, up from 45.6%.

The scientists looked for specific antibodies produced in response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These antibodies appear only after a person is infected and are not produced by the COVID-19 vaccine. Traces of these antibodies can remain in the blood for up to 2 years.

Regarding the current COVID-19 situation in the US, US CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the number of infections in the country increased by 22.7% in the past week to 44,000 cases per day. Hospitalizations increased for the second week in a row (up 6.6%), largely due to sub-variants of Omicron.

Federal data shows that to date more than 66% of the US population has received a full dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 46% of the population has received a booster shot.