Children aged 0-14years had a far lower mortality risk during the entire COVID-19 pandemic in four major industrial countries: an observational study.

Abstract

Children aged 0-14years had a far lower mortality risk during the entire COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of viral variants and/or vaccination on the mortality rate is difficult to distinguish. • Although extensive studies have focused on COVID-19-induced mortality, most of them are provisional reports performed during the unfolding of the pandemic and provide imprecise conclusion. • We described the morbidityandmortality for children aged 0-14years using complete survey data recorded during the entire COVID-19 pandemic. • The number of deaths per million people per week was far lower in children aged 0-14years, while the number of deaths per million people per week in children aged 0-14years was significantly higher in the second period which starting from week 23 (2021) and ending at week 22 to 25 (2023) than in the first period which starting from week 1 to 11 (2020) and ending at week 22 (2021).