The toll of COVID-19 on African children: A descriptive analysis on the COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality among the pediatric population in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Introduction: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, very little data on the epidemiological characteristics among the pediatric population in Africa has been published. This paper examines the age and sex distribution of the morbidity and mortality rate in children with COVID-19 and compares it to the adult population within 15 Sub-Saharan African countries. Methods: A merge line listing dataset using a reverse engineering model shared by countries within the Regional Office for Africa was analyzed. Patients diagnosed within 1 March 2020 and 1 September 2020 with confirmed positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed. Children data were stratified into three age groups: 0-4 years, 5-11 years, and 12-17 years, while adults were combined. The cumulative incidence of cases including its medians and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results: 9% of the total confirmed cases and 2.4% of the reported deaths were pediatric cases. The 12-17 age group in all 15 countries showed the highest cumulative incidence proportion in children. COVID-19 cases in males and females under the age of 18 were evenly distributed. Among adults, a higher case incidence per 100,000 people was observed compared to children. Conclusion: The cases and deaths within the children population was smaller than the adult population. These differences can reflect biases in COVID-19 testing protocols and reporting implemented by countries, highlighting the need for more extensive investigation and focus on the effects of COVID-19 in children.