Study Links Omicron To Higher Respiratory Disorder Risk in Children

The study analysed data from over 18,000 children during the Omicron wave of COVID-19.

A study from the University of Colorado indicates that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has a higher chance of causing upper airway infections (UAI) in children, increasing their chances of facing cardiac and other more severe complications.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), states that children were at a higher risk of UAI which leads to an increased risk of cardiac arrest.

The study was conducted with the aim of finding out if cases of upper airway infections rose in children during the Omicron wave.

The study analysed data from 18,849 children hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2,384 of whom had UAIs. Severe disease occurred in 81 children.

21.1 percent of children in the study who were hospitalised during the Omicron wave, with either upper airway infections or COVID-19, required intubation to breathe.