This is from the CDC
COVID-19 among children and adolescents
Children and adolescents can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, can get sick with COVID-19, and can spread the virus to others.9-15 In the United States through March 2021, the estimated cumulative rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 symptomatic illness in children ages 5-17 years were comparable to infection and symptomatic illness rates in adults ages 18-49 and higher than rates in adults ages 50 and older.16 Estimated cumulative rates of infection and symptomatic illness in children ages 0-4 years are roughly half of those in children ages 5-17 years, but are comparable to those in adults ages 65 years or older. These cumulative rates were estimated from CDC models that account for under-detection among reported cases.17
Several studies conducted early during the COVID-19 pandemic suggested that the incidence rate among children and adolescents was lower than among adults.9, 10, 18-23 However, the lower incidence rates may have been due in part to children, when compared to adults, having fewer opportunities for exposure (due to school, daycare, and activity closures) and a lower probability of being tested.17 Studies that have systematically tested children and adolescents, irrespective of symptoms, for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection (using antigen or RT-PCR assays) or prior infection (through antibody testing) have found their rates of infection can be comparable, and in some settings higher, than in adults.12, 15, 24-29
Children and adolescents can also transmit SARS-CoV-2 infection to others. Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, children were not commonly identified as index cases in household or other clusters9, 10 largely because schools and extracurricular activities around the world were closed or no longer held in-person. However, outbreaks among adolescents attending camps, sports events, and schools have demonstrated that adolescents can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others.11, 14, 30 Furthermore, transmission studies that have examined secondary infection risk from children and adolescents to household contacts who are rapidly, frequently, and systematically tested demonstrate that transmission does occur.29, 31
Compared with adults, children and adolescents who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 are more commonly asymptomatic (never develop symptoms) or have mild, non-specific symptoms (e.g. headache, sore throat).32-36 Similar to adults with SARS-CoV-2 infections, children and adolescents can spread SARS-CoV-2 to others when they do not have symptoms or have mild, non-specific symptoms and thus might not know that they are infected and infectious. Children are less likely to develop severe illness or die from COVID-19.23, 37-39 Nonetheless, 271 COVID-19 deaths among persons ages 5-17 years and 120 deaths among those 0-4 years have been reported to the National Center for Health Statistics through July 7, 2021.8 The extent to which children suffer long-term consequences of COVID-19 is still unknown.40 Although rates of severe outcomes (e.g. hospitalization, mortality) from COVID-19 among children and adolescents are low,41, 42 youth who belong to some racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected similar to adults. For example, a higher proportion of COVID-19 cases in school-aged children who are Hispanic or Latino or are Black or African American were hospitalized or required intensive care unit (ICU) admission than reported among White school-aged children.41 Underlying medical conditions are also more commonly reported among children who are hospitalized or admitted to an ICU than those not.41, 43 CDC’s COVID Data Tracker provides up-to-date information on Demographic Trends of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the US reported to CDC.