Genomic surveillance data from nine children's hospitals nationwide shows that children may be key carriers of coronavirus variants of concern, according to research published May 24 in the medical preprint journal medRXiv.
A team led by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles analyzed data on 2,119 patients 18 or younger collected between March 2020 and April 2021.
They found 252 virus samples involving variants of concern, including the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant first found in the U.K. and the B.1.429/B.1.427 variants first detected in California.
Researchers also identified 560 mutations among children that can cause the virus to become more transmissible or evade immune system functions. Of the 560 mutations detected in children, 72 percent were found in kids under 12 who are not yet eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Most of these mutations and variants were identified from October 2020 onward.
"There continues to be a need for ongoing genomic surveillance, particularly among young children who will be the last groups to be vaccinated," the researchers said.
The study has not been peer reviewed.