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Study finds kids were at low risk of severe COVID-19 early in pandemic, before Delta

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MONTREAL -

A new study has found that severe cases of COVID-19 were very rare among Canadian children during the first waves of the pandemic.

But researchers warn the findings should not be taken as a reason not to vaccinate youth.

The study was published today by the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

It looked at 264 reported cases of children hospitalized in Canada between March 25th and December 31st of last year -- before the more infectious Delta variant emerged.

Of those cases, researchers found that 43 per cent had been hospitalized for another reason -- such as a fracture -- and it was only after they were admitted that the positive COVID test came to light.

Overall, nearly 34-thousand Canadians of all ages were hospitalized during the same time frame.

But even with the encouraging conclusions, the study's co-lead author hopes it does not give parents a false sense of security.

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