Children account for a small proportion of diagnoses of SARS-CoV-2 5 infection and do not exhibit greater viral loads than adults

Abstract

[Methods] We analyzed the number of SARS-CoV-2 RNA tests of respiratory samples sent to our 32 laboratory between end of February and mid-March 2020. Clinical symptoms and mortality rate were analyzed among SARS-CoV-2-positive patients sampled in Marseille university hospitals. [Conclusion] Children and adolescents accounted for a low proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections and 48 did not exhibit higher viral loads than adults, and they may not contribute significantly to the 49 virus circulation.