ArticleJAMA pediatrics2021
Comparison of Symptoms and RNA Levels in Children and Adults With SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Community Setting.
Article in JAMA pediatrics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Rapid, point-of-care antigen tests for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Trajectory of Viral RNA Load Among Persons With Incident SARS-CoV-2 G614 Infection (Wuhan Strain) in Association With COVID-19 Symptom Onset and Severity.JAMA network open · 2022Trial
- Review
- Roles of children, isolation measures and socioeconomic status in SARS-CoV-2 household transmission: a retrospective cohort study in a southern US city.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Advancements and Future Perspectives of Microfluidic Technology in Pediatric Healthcare.Smart medicine · 2025Review
- SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses in children exhibit higher FcR engagement and avidity than in adults.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Three-year Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Antibody Among Children, Parental Awareness, and Contributors of Infection: A Single-school Cohort Study in Chiba, Japan.Journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Inhaled Dry Powder of Antiviral Agents: A Promising Approach to Treating Respiratory Viral Pathogens.Viruses · 2025Review
- Associations of SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity with clinical symptoms and race/ethnicity: The household transmission study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Kinetics and Durability of Antibody and T-Cell Responses to SARS-CoV-2 in Children.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Trends in SARS-CoV-2 Cycle Threshold Values in Bosnia and Herzegovina-A Retrospective Study.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Article
- Performance of and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Diagnostics Based on Symptom Onset and Close Contact Exposure: An Analysis From the Test Us at Home Prospective Cohort Study.Open forum infectious diseases · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 Disease Severity and Cycle Threshold Values in Children Infected during Pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron Periods, Colorado, USA, 2021-2022.Emerging infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Estimated relative potential for airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a day care centre.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Emergence in the Southeast Brazilian Population.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Clinical manifestations and long-term symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 omicron infection in children aged 0-17 years in Beijing: a single-center study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Article
- Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Households With Children in France, 2020-2022.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy, and Safety of a SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Treatment in Pediatric Participants: An Open-Label Addendum of a Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Phase 2/3 Trial.Infectious diseases and therapy · 2023Article
- Association of epidemiological and clinical features with PCR cycle threshold values of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a cross-sectional study.Pathogens and global health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
23 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Importance: The association between COVID-19 symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 viral levels in children living in the community is not well understood. Objective: To characterize symptoms of pediatric COVID-19 in the community and analyze the association between symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels, as approximated by cycle threshold (Ct) values, in children and adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study used a respiratory virus surveillance platform in persons of all ages to detect community COVID-19 cases from March 23 to November 9, 2020. A population-based convenience sample of children younger than 18 years and adults in King County, Washington, who enrolled online for home self-collection of upper respiratory samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing were included. Exposures: Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from participant-collected samples. Main Outcomes and Measures: RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, with Ct values stratified by age and symptoms. Results: Among 555 SARS-CoV-2-positive participants (mean [SD] age, 33.7 [20.1] years; 320 were female [57.7%]), 47 of 123 children (38.2%) were asymptomatic compared with 31 of 432 adults (7.2%). When symptomatic, fewer symptoms were reported in children compared with adults (mean [SD], 1.6 [2.0] vs 4.5 [3.1]). Symptomatic individuals had lower Ct values (which corresponded to higher viral RNA levels) than asymptomatic individuals (adjusted estimate for children, -3.0; 95% CI, -5.5 to -0.6; P = .02; adjusted estimate for adults, -2.9; 95% CI, -5.2 to -0.6; P = .01). The difference in mean Ct values was neither statistically significant between symptomatic children and symptomatic adults (adjusted estimate, -0.7; 95% CI, -2.2 to 0.9; P = .41) nor between asymptomatic children and asymptomatic adults (adjusted estimate, -0.6; 95% CI, -4.0 to 2.8; P = .74). Conclusions and Relevance: In this community-based cross-sectional study, SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels, as determined by Ct values, were significantly higher in symptomatic individuals than in asymptomatic individuals and no significant age-related differences were found. Further research is needed to understand the role of SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels and viral transmission.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.