3 in 4 US Children Have Had COVID-19: CDC Estimate

Children play jump-rope on the street off 5th Avenue in New York City on March 7, 2022. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Three out of four children in the United States have had COVID-19, along with more than six in 10 young adults, according to new estimates.

Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that only a quarter of children 17 and younger have no signs of having had COVID-19.

The research, which analyzed blood samples submitted for testing, estimated large jumps in seroprevalence, or antibodies found in the blood from past COVID-19 infection, a state also known as natural immunity because of the protection one enjoys against reinfection and severe illness.

In children, seroprevalence rose to 75 percent in February 2022 from 44 percent in December 2021. Among adults aged 18 to 48, seroprevalence increased to 64 percent from 36.5 percent; among those aged 50 to 64, it rose to 50 percent from 30 percent, and among those 65 or older, it rose to 33 percent from 19 percent.

“I did expect it to increase. I did not expect it to increase quite this much,” Dr. Kristie Clarke, a CDC epidemiologist, told reporters on a call discussing the new estimates.

Although the CDC maintains that a previous infection doesn’t mean one is protected against COVID-19, a slew of studies have shown that people who recover from the illness have better protection than those who get vaccinated, including research from the CDC.

To arrive at the estimates, scientists tested blood specimens for anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) antibodies, a marker that’s triggered only by infection with COVID-19, the illness caused by the CCP virus. The testing doesn’t indicate whether one has had a vaccine.

But researchers said the great jumps in seroprevalence were recorded among age groups with the lowest vaccination coverage, as just over a quarter of those 5 to 11 have been vaccinated, and no kids under 5 are authorized to get a shot.

The vaccines can protect against severe disease and mortality, according to studies and real-world data, but have proven increasingly limited in shielding against infection.

Vaccination on top of natural immunity can boost protection, studies have shown, but the boosts are often minimal. Additionally, people with natural immunity are more likely to suffer side effects when they get a vaccine, according to some research.

The level of prior infection may actually be higher than estimated. The samples analyzed in December, January, and February totaled about 192,000, well under the actual number of infections recorded during those months, and the antibodies can eventually become undetectable, Clarke said.

Additionally, one of the limitations was that infections after vaccination might result in lower amounts of anti-N antibodies, making them undetectable earlier.

Antibodies are one of the body’s defenses believed to protect people against infection and severe illness.

The research was published in the CDC’s quasi-journal without peer review. The journal features papers that align with the agency’s messaging.

Dr. Steven Hatfill, a virologist, told The Epoch Times in an email that, based on data he’s reviewed, the risks from the vaccines outweigh the benefits for children and young adults.

“Childhood vaccination should not be considered unless a child has significant co-morbidities like cystic fibrosis, severe Type 1 diabetes, etc.,” he wrote.