STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows that just over 83% of children in New York have contracted COVID-19.
The agency’s nationwide pediatric antibody seroprevalence survey uses blood samples to gain a better understanding of COVID-19 transmission across the country among children between 6 months and 17 years of age.
The CDC used 659 blood samples in New York to establish the state’s estimate, and has 95% confidence that the total falls somewhere between 80.2% and 86.8%. Just over 3.2 million children are expected to have been infected at least once in the state, according to the data, which was updated on Aug. 15.
Detecting COVID-19 antibodies does not necessarily show how many people are protected against reinfection or severe outcomes, the CDC said. The tests used for the study did not measure antibodies produced by vaccination.
Nearly 27,000 pediatric samples were used to find the nationwide average of 79.7% — slightly lower than New York’s total. The estimate indicates that nearly 57 million children have contracted the virus as of late June.
Because children are less likely to become severely ill due to COVID-19, reported cases among younger age groups underrepresent the actual spread of the virus.
Still, some children — especially those with underlying health conditions — may require hospitalization due to symptoms caused by the disease, including trouble breathing and persistent chest pain.
Additionally, studies have found that children and even infants can be affected by long COVID symptoms that linger after initial infection.
