In this May 27, 2020 file photo, Tacoma, Wash. The worker in the day-care center wears a mask as he cleans the tricycle used by the class, which is repeated several times during the work day.
Ted S and War Run | A.P.
A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday found that 12 children who caught Kovid-19 at three child care centers in Utah had spread the virus elsewhere and infected some parents and siblings.
The study’s authors note that research has previously shown that children 10 years of age or older can spread the virus in schools. The new study is evidence that even though Kovid-19 is not seriously ill, young children, including an 8-month-old baby, can spread the virus, the researchers said.
The study was conducted between April and July, with outbreaks occurring at three child care centers in Salt Lake City. Using contact data collected at the time of the outbreak, the researchers used the data to “build a transmission chain by default” to determine precisely how the virus spread. A total of 83 children attended the three child care centers included in the study, the studies said.
Of the three outbreaks, researchers said 12 children at child care centers were infected with Covid-19, although three of them never developed symptoms and only nine developed mild symptoms. The study says those 12 children came in contact with 46 people who were not involved in childcare facilities and 12 or more of them were infected. The children infected included six mothers, one of whom was hospitalized, three siblings and three others, the study said.
“People who do not have Covid-19 symptoms can still spread the virus,” the researchers wrote, confirming further evidence that the transmission was found in three children with asymptomatic Kvid-19. “Covid-19 is less severe in children than in adults, but children can still play a role in transmission.”
The role that children, especially asymptomatic children, play in the spread of the virus has become a subject of much competition as discussions continue on whether to reopen schools for individual education. Researchers specifically focused on child care settings and not necessarily schools, they recommended testing as a useful mitigation and research tool.
“Of the three children with asymmetry, S probably contracted SARS-Cavi-2 in their parents and probably in their teachers,” he wrote. “The availability of SARS-Cavi-2 testing, timely results and testing of child care patient contacts regardless of symptoms, helps prevent transmission and provides a better understanding of the role children play in transmission.”
The researchers noted some limitations of their study. Between April 1 and July 10, Salt Lake County identified 17 child care centers with at least two confirmed Covid-19 cases over a 14-day period, but the study only included data from those three centers.
The researchers added that the guidelines during the contact therapeutic method were changed during the epidemic and could lead to inconsistent data collection systems. Also, they said that the initial testing criteria were more restrictive and could reduce the number of infections.
And finally, the researchers noted that at one of the centers, they could not find the source of the outbreak, so it is possible that the cases at the center were brought from another source. At two other facilities, the researchers said they found the source of the infection to staff members who contracted Kovid-19 through a family member.
“Testing of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case contacts in child care settings, including care for children with no symptoms, may improve transmission control from family attendees to family members.”
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