Pediatric Infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV 2) and ‎Potential Health Policy Consequences

Background: COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, is milder in children ‎than in adults. Infected children and adolescents are at lower risk of hospitalization or ‎experiencing severe morbidity or mortality than adults, especially the elderly. However, there ‎are many unanswered questions regarding the overall impact of COVID-19 in children that ‎require further inquiry and discussion, some of which will be addressed in this forum. These ‎include short-and long-term outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, as well as the ‎safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. The impact of pediatric infection ‎on contacts of affected children, both at school and at home, will be discussed. Public health ‎and public policy considerations will be explored. Future directions for mitigating the impacts ‎of COVID-19 in children will be considered. ‎

Objectives: In this International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology Conference, the objectives are to 1) discuss the multiple facets of SARS-CoV-2 infection in ‎children; 2) discuss the strengths and limitations of the current approach to management of ‎COVID-19, from both a clinical and societal viewpoint; and 3) identify areas where additional ‎research is needed.‎

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