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Widening the lens for pandemic preparedness: children must be seen and heard

The Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ANZPID) Group of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) calls for urgent consideration of the needs and voices of children in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in planning for future pandemics.

Management and outcomes of children hospitalised with COVID-19 including incidental and nosocomial infections in Australia 2020–2023: A national surveillance study

Management and outcomes of children hospitalised with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection may differ throughout the pandemic or with admission type (clinical COVID-19, incidental COVID-19 or nosocomial infection).

Facilitating knowledge transfer during Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout: an examination of ‘Functional Dialogues’ as an approach to bridge the evidence–policy gap

Our interdisciplinary team initiated a project to inform the COVID-19 vaccination programme. We developed a novel research co-creation approach to share emerging findings with government. 

Platform trial in COVID-19 priming and BOOsting (PICOBOO): The immunogenicity, reactogenicity and safety of seven licensed COVID-19 vaccines delivered as fifth dose or subsequent boosters

PICOBOO is a randomised, adaptive trial evaluating the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of licensed COVID-19 booster vaccines in immunocompetent individuals >12 years old. Here, we present data for seven different vaccines among three pre-specified participant strata defined by age and primary vaccine schedule.

The Kids Research Institute Australia launches Covid-19 booster research to inform Australia’s vaccine policy

Optimising our national Covid-19 vaccine program could be one step closer thanks to new research now underway at The Kids Research Institute Australia investigating the most effective, long-term strategies for booster vaccinations.

COVID-19 risks explained for babies, children and pregnant women

Many parents may be feeling anxious and confused about what COVID-19 means for pregnant women, babies and children.

It’s not just physical illness that will have an impact: A ground-breaking study is investigating the effect of COVID-19 on community wellbeing

In an Australian-first study, researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia are investigating the effects of COVID-19 on the wellbeing of more than 2,000 families in the northern suburbs of Perth, measuring their perceived stress, financial hardship and family functioning during the pandemic.

The Association Between Obesity and COVID-19 Severity in Children Differed Between SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Multicountry Hospital-based Observational Study

Obesity was a risk factor for severe COVID-19 in children during early outbreaks of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant. However, the relationship between obesity and COVID-19 severity during the Omicron wave remains unclear.

A modular approach to forecasting COVID-19 hospital bed occupancy

Monitoring the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital beds was a critical component of Australia's real-time surveillance strategy for the disease. From 2021 to 2023, we produced short-term forecasts of bed occupancy to support public health decision-making. 

Increased burden of invasive group A streptococcal disease among Australian children, 2023–2024: a prospective cohort study

Global rates of invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS) disease surged from September 2022, exceeding pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, showing atypical seasonality and disproportionately affecting children. We previously described the epidemiology of iGAS among Australian children from mid-2018 to end 2022 using data from the Paediatric Active Enhanced Diseases network and here provide updated clinical epidemiology for 2023 and 2024 to help inform public health strategies.