WASHINGTON: Children may still have the potential to transmit the new coronavirus even if they have a measurable immune response, according to a new study that says the virus and antibodies can coexist in young patients.
The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, used a retrospective analysis of 6,369 children who were tested for the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and 215 patients who underwent antibody tests at Children’s National Hospital in the United States. USA Between March 13 and June 21.
According to the scientists, including those at the hospital, 33 of the 215 patients underwent joint tests for the virus and antibodies during the course of the COVID-19 disease, and nine of the 33 showed presence in their blood and later tested positive for the virus.
“With most viruses, when you start to detect antibodies, you are no longer going to detect it. But with COVID-19, we are seeing both,” said Burak Bahar, lead author of the study from Children’s National Hospital.
According to Bahar, the next phase of the research will be to test whether the virus that is present along with the antibodies can be transmitted to other people.
He added that it is also unknown whether the antibodies detected in children correlate with immunity and how long the antibodies last and possible protection against reinfection.
When the scientists evaluated the timing of viral clearance and immune response, they found that the average time from viral positivity to negativity, when the virus can no longer be detected, was 25 days.
The median time to seropositivity, or the presence of antibodies in the blood, was 18 days, while the median time to reaching adequate levels of neutralizing antibodies was 36 days.
Neutralizing antibodies are important to potentially protect a person from re-infection with the same virus.
The scientists also found that patients aged six to 15 took longer to clear the virus compared to patients aged 16 to 22.
Women in the 6 to 15-year-old age group also took longer to clear the virus than men, they added.
While there is emerging data on this time in adults with COVID-19, the researchers said there is much less data when it comes to the pediatric population.
“The bottom line here is that we can’t let our guard down just because a child has antibodies or is no longer showing symptoms,” Bahar said, adding that the continued role of good hygiene and social distancing “remains critical.”
The 5 Most Wanted Skills in a Post-Covid Workplace
Need for time improvement
Improving skills is the order of the day, whether it’s because your industry has taken a hit, you’ve been asked to leave, or simply because you’re considering a change. And the new normal means that certain skills will be highly sought after in the post-COVID-19 world, given that many of our usual ways of life have changed. Employees around the world are forced to adapt to digital infrastructure and work remotely. This requires acquiring new skills, not just technical, but also social skills to make a smooth transition to the new way of working. Lakshmi Mittra, VP – Center of Excellence (CoE) and Clover Academy, Clover Infotech, share the top skills that in a post-covid world:
Problem resolution
Problem solving skills become essential in a remote work setting. Since employees collaborate and communicate virtually, this can pose a number of challenges. Problem solving skills allow employees to approach problems rationally and see them as opportunities. In this way, they can identify the most effective methods to rectify situations and ensure the smooth running of business operations.
Leadership
Today’s global crises have not only tested employees’ abilities to perform in a remote work environment, but also their emotional resilience. With some companies advertising remote work until the end of 2020, it has become imperative for managers to develop strong leadership qualities to remotely manage teams, inspire and bring out the best in them through results-based management. Companies are organizing courses to train their leadership and middle management teams to better plan and manage their work and build camaraderie among their teams remotely.
Cybersecurity experts
Since most of the workforce operates from home, hackers are using this as an opportunity to launch cyber attacks. According to recent reports, there has been a significant increase in the number of cyber attacks on personal computers, networks and routers. With information and cyber security increasingly critical, cybersecurity experts will be on the priority list of every business.
Communication skills
With remote work and collaboration, it’s very important to communicate clearly and be well planned to get the best out of your teams. From training and empowering employees to having projects delivered on time, communication skills will become very critical and could be a key factor distinguishing successful projects from others.
