PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kim, Jieun
AU  - Choe, Young June
AU  - Lee, Jin
AU  - Park, Young Joon
AU  - Park, Ok
AU  - Han, Mi Seon
AU  - Kim, Jong-Hyun
AU  - Choi, Eun Hwa
TI  - Role of children in household transmission of COVID-19
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2020-319910
DP  - 2021 Jul 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 709--711
VI  - 106
IP  - 7
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/106/7/709.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/106/7/709.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child2021 Jul 01; 106
AB  - Objective Transmissibility of COVID-19 by children in the household is not clear. Herein, we describe children’s role in household transmission of COVID-19.Design and setting All paediatric COVID-19 index cases and their household members reported from 20 January to 6 April 2020 in South Korea were reviewed. The secondary attack rate (SAR) from child index case to household secondary case was calculated. Epidemiological and clinical findings of child index case-household secondary case pair was assessed.Results A total of 107 paediatric COVID-19 index cases and 248 of their household members were identified. One pair of paediatric index-secondary household case was identified, giving a household SAR of 0.5% (95% CI 0.0% to 2.6%). The index case was self-quarantined at home after international travel, stayed in her room, but shared a meal table with the secondary case.Conclusion The SAR from children to household members was low in the setting of social distancing, underscoring the importance of rigorous contact tracing and early isolation in limiting transmission within households.Data are available on reasonable request. The investigation was a part of public health response and all data are protected under the Personal Information Protection Act, enacted 30 September 2011.