THERE are higher proportions of ethnic minority children testing positive for Covid-19 than white children, an Oxford study has revealed.

Reported in medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, it is the largest study of coronavirus in children to date, and suggests a link between ethnicity and Covid.

Research teams from Oxford, Cambridge, Leicester, Nottingham and Southampton analysed more than two and a half million healthcare records, to understand whether the already established link between ethnicity and Covid-19 in adults was similar in children.

The odds of a positive test were higher in children from Asian and black backgrounds (1.8 times and 1.12 times more likely, respectively) compared to white children.

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Asian children were 1.6 times more likely to be admitted to hospital compared to white children.

Lead author Defne Saatci said: “This is the largest observational study yet of Covid-19 in children, and highlights disparities in testing, infection rates and hospitalisation linked to ethnic minority children, with important implications for families, doctors and policymakers.”

Co-author Julia Hippisley-Cox added: “While children are at a substantially lower risk from Covid-19 compared with adults, this study suggests that race and ethnicity play an important role in outcomes for Covid-19 across all age groups.

“Our findings reinforce the need for ethnicity-tailored approaches to diagnosing and managing Covid-19 in community settings, so those families at most risk of severe illness are better informed and have greater access to tests.”