LAUSR

Key Points Question How do incidence and relative risk of contracting COVID-19 from the original wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain in adolescents and youth compare with that in older adults in the US? Findings Results of this cross-sectional study using state health department data from the start of the pandemic through fall 2020 indicate that, in 16 of the 19 states examined, the incidence rate and relative risk of COVID-19 infection from wild-type SARS-CoV-2 were significantly greater in adolescents and youth than in older adults. For example, in Florida, the incidence rate in adolescents and youth was 0.055 compared with 0.028 in older adults—adolescents and youth had 1.94 times the risk of contracting COVID-19 compared with older adults. Meaning These results suggest that, contrary to reports from Europe and Asia, infection rates and relative risk among US adolescents and youth exceeded that in older adults from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic through fall 2020, before vaccines were available.