SARS-CoV-2 -KIDS Study: Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) among children (<18y) in Germany: time series in sentinel children's hospitals

SARS-CoV-2 is spreading rapidly and globally, but little is known about the distribution and mode of spreading in Germany. Since it is expected that COVID-19 will be comparatively harmless or even asymptomatic in children, it can be assumed that a high number of infections in this group will be not detected, causing children to act as spreaders of the infection. The aim of this study is to obtain a prospective monthly estimate of the seroprevalence of an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 in children and adolescents in Germany in the period from 01.05.2020 to 30.04.2021 in 12 sentinel children's hospitals and thereby describe the yearly course of the epidemic in children and adolescents: • What is the maximum prevalence reached at the peak of the epidemic? • When does the monthly increment flatten? • Are there differences with the temporal course by age, sex, and region? • What is the estimated burden of suffering related to the SARS-Cov-2 in children? • Does the burden of suffering vary by age, sex, ethnicity or underlying disease? • Which proportion of confirmed positive cases has been previously diagnosed by a physician or other medical experts? Data on the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in children are mandatory for understanding the previous epidemiology and for guidance of the management of the epidemic in the future.