Characteristics and risk factors of isolated and quarantined children and adolescents during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Modena, Northern Italy: SARS-CoV-2 in Modena children

Stefania Paduano; Maria Chiara Facchini; Antonella Greco; Lucia Borsari; Valentina M. Mingrone; Stefano Tancredi; Elisabetta Fioretti; Giacomo Creola; Laura Iacuzio; Giovanni Casaletti; Marco Vinceti; Annalisa Bargellini; Tommaso Filippini

doi:10.23750/abm.v92iS6.12225

Characteristics and risk factors of isolated and quarantined children and adolescents during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in Modena, Northern Italy

SARS-CoV-2 in Modena children

Authors

Stefania Paduano Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3640-9177
Maria Chiara Facchini Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
Antonella Greco Department of Public Health, AUSL Modena, Modena, Italy
Lucia Borsari Department of Public Health, AUSL Modena, Modena, Italy
Valentina M. Mingrone Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
Stefano Tancredi Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
Elisabetta Fioretti Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy and Department of Public Health, AUSL Modena, Modena, Italy
Giacomo Creola Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy and Department of Public Health, AUSL Modena, Modena, Italy
Laura Iacuzio Department of Public Health, AUSL Modena, Modena, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7271-1042
Giovanni Casaletti Department of Public Health, AUSL Modena, Modena, Italy
Marco Vinceti Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy and Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0551-2473
Annalisa Bargellini Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7562-1472
Tommaso Filippini CREAGEN-Environmental, Genetic and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Section of Public Health, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2100-0344

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v92iS6.12225

Keywords:

adolescent, children, contact tracing, pandemic, public health, SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Background and aim: In early 2020, SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic by the WHO and Italy was one of the first and most severely affected country in Europe. Despite the global interest about COVID-19 pandemic, several aspects of this infection are still unclear, especially in pediatric population. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of the isolated or quarantined children and adolescents followed by the Public Health Department of the Italian province of Modena during the first wave of COVID-19.

Methods: The study population included all non-adult subjects aged 0-18 years who underwent isolation or quarantine during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic from February 24 to June 18, 2020 in Modena province, Northern Italy.

Results: In Modena province, 1230 children and adolescents were isolated in case of SARS-CoV-2 infection (6.3%), or quarantined due to close contact with confirmed cases (88.7%) or travelling from a high-risk area (5.0%). Among 349 individuals who underwent swab testing, 294 (84.2%) reported close contact with an infected cohabiting relative and 158 (45.3%) were symptomatic. Among all tested subjects, 78 (22.4%) resulted positive, with a higher proportion of symptomatic subjects compared with the SARS-CoV-2-negative (78.2% vs. 35.8%). Fever was mostly present in SARS-CoV-2-positive children (48.7% vs. 12.6%). Both anosmia (58.3% vs. 41.7%) and dysgeusia (54.5% vs. 45.5%) had only slightly higher frequency in SARS-CoV-2-positive.

Conclusions: These findings allow to expand the knowledge regarding characteristics of non-adult subjects isolated or quarantined during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. (www.actabiomedica.it)

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