And what if children were much more contagious than we have been thinking…? This is what an American study published in medical JAMA Pediatrics magazine on Thursday July 30, 2020 fids explaining the level of coronavirus genetic material found in very young children (under 5 years old) was 10 to 100 times greater than in other children infected by Covid-19 or adults, and therefore they are much more contagious.
This study has been carried out in Chicago between March 23 and April 27, 2020 in 145 patients “with mild to moderate illness within 1 week of symptom onset”. It consisted in nose swabs in order to test and included three groups: 46 children younger than 5 years, 51 children aged 5 to 17 years and 48 adults aged 19 to 65 years.
And results are really clear: the team of scientists managed to see a very large quantity of virus: “10 to 100 times greater” compared with samples collected in other patients in this category of individuals. That same team then explained a study showed the more there is genetic material, the more contagious Covid-19 is. “Young children can potentially be important drivers of SARS-CoV-2 spread in the general population” they say.
They conclude: “Behavioral habits of young children and close quarters in school and day care settings raise concern for SARS-CoV-2 amplification in this population as public health restrictions are eased”. Thus, the study goes against everything that has been said before that children were less contagious and Donald Trump’s policy as for lockdown as he wants to reopen schools so that parents can go back to work and relaunch the economy.
