Children cool off in a fountain while enjoying a warm and humid day at Gantry Plaza State Park after the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Long Island City, New York, USA, 25 of July 2020. REUTERS / Jeenah Moon
Data on children as sources of spread of the coronavirus are sparse, and early reports found no strong evidence that children were the main contributors to the deadly virus that has killed 6.69,632 people worldwide.
- Reuters
- Last update: July 31, 2020 7:55 AM IST
Children under the age of five carried large amounts of coronavirus in the upper respiratory tract, a small study published Thursday showed, raising new questions about whether children can infect others.
Data on children as sources of spread of the coronavirus are sparse, and early reports found no strong evidence that children were the main contributors to the deadly virus that has killed 6.69,632 people worldwide.
Understanding the transmission potential in children will be key to developing public health guidelines, said the researchers who published the study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Between March 23 and April 27, 2020, a research team at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University tested collections of inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and test drive sites. in Chicago, Illinois.
The study included 145 individuals between one month and 65 years of age with mild to moderate COVID-19 who were studied in three groups: children under the age of five, children between the ages of 5 to 17, and adults aged 18 to 65.
Their analysis suggests that young children had a viral load 10 to 100 times higher than adults in their upper airways.
Viral loads in older children with COVID-19 are similar to levels in adults. This study found higher amounts of viral nucleic acid, the genetic codes for proteins to make new viruses, in children younger than 5 years.
The study only looked at viral nucleic acid and not infectious virus, meaning it is unclear if children would spread the virus.
Still, the prevalence in young children raises concerns about their behavioral habits and their proximity to schools and daycares as public health restrictions are eased, the researchers said.
In addition to the public health implications, the researchers said the results could help focus attention on this population while targeting immunization efforts when COVID-19 vaccines become available.
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