Children between the ages of 10 and 19 can transmit the coronavirus at least as effectively as adults, according to a study recently published in South Korea.
Because it is important: The findings come amid a heated global debate about reopening schools as the coronavirus pandemic progresses. Experts warn that if schools resume this fall, communities could see infection clusters that include children of all ages, citing the study’s findings.
How does it work: South Korean researchers identified 5,706 people who first reported coronavirus symptoms in their homes between January 20 and March 27, when schools in the country closed, according to the New York Times.
- They tracked 59,073 contacts from the original cases.
The researchers found that children in middle and high school they were just as likely to infect others as adults.
- Children under the age of 10 were about half as likely as adults to transmit the virus.
Yes, but: The researchers only tracked down the children who felt sick. Transmission rates for asymptomatic cases remain unknown, and children are less likely than adults to develop symptoms.
The panorama: Several major school systems in the United States have postponed in-person classes for the fall, including in Los Angeles, San Diego, and New York City.
- 71% of American parents surveyed in a recent Axios-Ipsos poll said it would be risky to send their children to school in the fall, including a slim majority of Republicans and a staggering nine out of 10 African Americans, reports Margaret. Axios Talev.
Read the study.
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