Tests with a positive result for Covid in children were discharged in November

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Covid tests with a positive result in children aged zero to two years reached a peak in November, according to a survey carried out by a laboratory.

According to data from Grupo Fleury, positive tests for Sars-CoV-2 in this age group in November reached an average of 16.64%, which is equivalent to five times more than that observed in the previous month, in October (3 .06%). Likewise, adolescents aged 13 to 18 had a positive result rate of 23.33%, about 4.7 times the previous month (from 4.88%).

In the other age groups, from 3 to 5 years, the rate changed from 1.42%, in October, to 7.73%, in November, and in the age group from 6 to 12, from 2.4% to 16, 54% in the last month.

According to the survey, two days in the last month had the highest peak: the 19th of November, with 27.4%, and the 9th, when it reached 30.56% (or almost a third of the tests with a positive result). . The data are similar to those observed in the last wave of omicron, in June, and lower than that recorded in January, in the first wave of omicron, with a positive test rate of 45% in minors.

For the infectologist and medical director of Fleury, Celso Granato, the scenario observed among children results from the low vaccination coverage in this group. “Since vaccination coverage is low and people are practically back to normal, the growth of cases in children begins to appear”, he explained.

The increase in positive test results in children reflects the wave of cases recorded in the last month in adults as well. “These are parallel phenomena, we saw an increase in adults, which was even greater, and an increase in children, which is now starting to show a sign of decline, but is still a cause for concern,” he said.

The increase in cases had already been pointed out by the Sheet in the beginning of the month. Experts believe that with the crowds caused by the World Cup and the end of year festivities, new cases could grow even more in the coming weeks.

According to him, despite doing little “typing” of the samples to find out which virus is present in them, there is still a dominance of the omicron and the BQ.1 subvariant. “Adding together ends up being 40%,” he said.

According to Granato, it is more common for cases detected in children to be more serious, requiring hospital evaluation, which is a cause for concern. “With the period of greater circulation and meeting with family and friends, children must be especially careful to avoid infection.”

Despite the fact that Pfizer’s vaccine for babies aged 6 months to 4 years already exists, the government has so far restricted vaccination for younger children with comorbidities. Even in older age groups, such as those over five years old, the pace of vaccination is slow.

“It would be good for the government to end the year bringing Pfizer’s bivalent vaccine for adults and those over five years old and for young children to also offer the pediatric vaccine. controlled in the past, like measles”, he says.

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