Canadian kids were at low risk of severe COVID-19 early in the pandemic, before Delta: study

The study was conducted before the emergence of the more infectious Delta variant, which now accounts for most COVID-19 infections in Canada.

Severe cases of COVID-19 were very rare among Canadian children during the first waves of the pandemic, according to a new study by researchers who warn the findings should not be taken as a reason not to vaccinate youth.

The study was published Monday by the Canadian Medical Association Journal and looked at 264 reported cases of children hospitalized in Canada between March 25 and Dec. 31, 2020, before the more infectious Delta variant emerged.

Of those cases, 43 per cent had been hospitalized for another reason, such as a fracture, and it was only after they were admitted that the positive test came to light.

Nearly 34,000 Canadians of all ages were hospitalized during the same time frame.

“If you look at the numbers in total, that’s only 150 children hospitalized with COVID during the first two waves here in Canada,” said study co-lead author Dr. Fatima Kakkar of Montreal’s Ste-Justine Hospital.

“These are very small numbers, when you compare with what has happened in adults.”

The study was conducted before the emergence of the more infectious Delta variant, which now accounts for most COVID-19 infections in Canada.

The research also took place before COVID-19 vaccines were authorized for youth aged 12 and older. Of the cases studied, 77 involved kids aged 13 to 17. Pfizer has said it intends to seek authorization soon for a vaccine intended for kids aged five to 11.