Spanish and black children are much more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 than white children, a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found.
While the study recognized that most pediatric incidents of Covid-19 are asymptomatic or mild, and rates of hospitalization among children of all ethnicities remain low, it found that rates of hospitalization among Spanish children were approximately eight times higher than for white children. Black children were admitted to hospital five times higher than for white children.
The report – released on Friday – focused on data from 14 states. It found that 42% of the children surveyed had one or more underlying medical conditions. It was found that obesity is the most common, a condition that affects nearly one in five American children and is more common in black and Hispanic populations.
“Reasons for differences in Covid-19-associated rates of hospitalization by race and ethnicity are not fully understood,” the study authors wrote, calling for a greater understanding of social forces affecting health.
“Continued follow-up of Sars-CoV-2 infections among children is important to characterize morbidity and mortality,” it added. “Confirmation of prevention efforts is essential in municipal institutions that serve children, including child centers and schools.”
But the report also found that rates of hospitalization related to Covid-19 for children across all ethnicities remain low (8 per 100,000 population) compared to that among adults (164.5 per 100,000). Those under two years of age had the highest pediatric hospitalization.
The report is being published as state authorities finalize plans for schools to reopen across the country. The White House is calling for a complete overhaul of the system, while unions of teachers and some experts are cautiously warning that a rapid overhaul could lead to a spike in new infections.
A second CDC report found that a rare inflammatory syndrome in children – known as MIS-C – and thought to be triggered by an overreaction of the immune system, was also found to have a higher prevalence among Spanish children.
About 40% of the 570 cases occurred in children identified as Hispanic, CDC analysis showed, while 33% of the affected children were black.
In May, the agency issued a warning and asked doctors to report cases that meet the definition of the condition in patients under 18 years of age. Many of these diagnoses experienced complications, including heart function (40.6%), shock (35.4%), dilatation of coronary artery or aneurysm (18.6%), and acute kidney injury (18.4%).
“Long-standing inequalities in the social determinants of health, such as housing, economic instability, insurance status, and working conditions of patients and their families have systematically put social, racist and ethnic minority populations at higher risk for Covid-19 and more serious diseases, including MIS -C, ”the study concluded.
