COVID‐19 Reinfection in Children With Cancer: Clinical Course and Risk Factors

While children with cancer are at risk of severe COVID-19, little is known about reinfection. Among infections (n = 2075) in children (≤ 21 years old, median age = 10 years old) receiving cancer-directed therapy and reported to the Pediatric Oncology COVID-19 case report, reinfection represented 6%. Children with subsequent infections did not have lower odds of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, or changes to cancer-directed therapy. Odds of reinfection were higher among children with hematologic malignancies but did not vary with sociodemographics, disease status, comorbidities, or vaccination status. The disease course for reinfected children was not less severe than the first infection, emphasizing the importance of preventing reinfection.