SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 susceptibility and infectiousness of children and adults deduced from investigations of childcare centre outbreaks, Germany, 2021

• Published in: Euro surveillance : bulletin européen sur les maladies transmissibles Vol. 26; no. 21; p. 1
• Main Authors: Loenenbach, Anna, Markus, Inessa, Lehfeld, Ann-Sophie, an der Heiden, Matthias, Haas, Walter, Kiegele, Maya, Ponzi, André, Unger-Goldinger, Barbara, Weidenauer, Cornelius, Schlosser, Helen, Beile, Alexander, Buchholz, Udo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Saint-Maurice Centre Europeen pour la Surveillance Epidemiologique du SIDA (European Centre for the Epidemiological Monitoring of AIDS) 27.05.2021; European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
• Subjects: Adults; Children & youth; COVID-19; Day care centers; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Health surveillance; Rapid Communication; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Germany
• ISSN: 1560-7917; 1025-496X; 1560-7917
• DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.21.2100433

We investigated three SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 childcare centre and related household outbreaks. Despite group cohorting, cases occurred in almost all groups, i.e. also among persons without close contact. Children’s secondary attack rates (SAR) were similar to adults (childcare centres: 23% vs 30%; p = 0.15; households: 32% vs 39%; p = 0.27); child- and adult-induced household outbreaks also led to similar SAR. With the advent of B.1.1.7, susceptibility and infectiousness of children and adults seem to converge. Public health measures should be revisited accordingly.