Wagamaga OP t1_ixc9big wrote
During the pandemic regular serosurveys, testing for antibodies to the virus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19, have been used to track the proportion of people infected. Today, results from two complementary national serosurveys, one in children and adolescents, and the other in adults, have been released. Taken together, they provide a unique snapshot of the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection across Australia to the end of August 2022.
The children and adolescents survey found at least 64% of 0–19 year olds in Australia had been infected with SARS-CoV-2. In unvaccinated children aged 1–4 years, approximately 8 out of 10 had evidence of past infection. The adults survey, the third in a series of surveys in blood donors, found at least two thirds of the adult population had been infected with SARS-CoV-2, with approximately 20% infected within 3 months of the previous survey in June 2022.
National paediatric serosurvey The child and adolescent study, led by the Paediatric Active Enhanced Diseases Surveillance network (PAEDS) and the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), in collaboration with Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, tested antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in 2,046 blood samples collected between June and August 2022. Two types of antibodies were tested: antibody to the nucleocapsid protein of the virus, which indicates past infection, and antibody to the spike protein, which can indicate past infection and/or vaccination. In children aged 1–4 years, all of whom were unvaccinated, the proportion with spike antibody was 79%, indicating past infection in approximately 8 out of 10 pre-schoolers.
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