Comparison of Clinical Characteristics of Children Infected with Coronavirus Disease 2019 between Omicron Variant BA.5 and BA.1/BA.2 in Japan.

The emergence of BA.5 significantly affected children in Japan; the number with complex febrile seizure who required hospitalization was higher than during BA.1/BA.2 predominance. The COVID-19 vaccination rate in children must be increased to prevent hospitalization for COVID-19 and to prepare for current and future variant outbreaks.