When we first heard about the coronavirus, many parents immediately thought: How will this affect my kids? It’s a common worry and a real reason why researchers have already been looking into the subject. Luckily the news seems better than you may think.
Our kids react differently
Researchers in China have investigated the rates at which children have acquired the virus and the symptoms they exhibited. They found that about 4% of children were asymptomatic, 51% had a mild illness, and 39% had a moderate illness. About 6% had a severe or critical illness, compared to 18.5% of adults.
The reasons for these findings are unknown. Researchers have two hypotheses about why our children are affected differently by the coronavirus:
• They are exposed to more viruses thus having a higher antibody count prepared
• COVID-19 virus doesn’t bind to children’s cells the same way it attaches to an adult’s cells
Some kids are asymptomatic.
Research data suggests that young people who have tested positive for the coronavirus have shown little to no symptoms, sometimes exhibiting symptoms similar to a mild cold.
The typical COVID-19 symptoms in adults are fever, shortness of breath, and cough. At the same time, 56% of pediatric patients reported fever, 54% reported cough, and 13% reported shortness of breath, compared with 71%, 80%, and 43%, respectively, in adults.
A word of caution to high-risk groups
There is still reason to be cautious regarding the transmission of COVID-19. Though infected children may not show as many symptoms, they still carry and transmit the virus to other parties. For this reason, the schools are closed.
The last thing you would want is for the virus to be transmitted to a grandparent or infant through an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. These particular groups of individuals have weakened or underdeveloped immune systems and can be hit hard by the virus’s effects.
Not much is known about the why behind the affected groups and ratios there-in, as more research needs to be done. However, researchers are working diligently to have the information we need to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
In the meantime, we can do what we can to #flattenthecurve by practicing social distancing, wearing a mask, and exercising a consistent handwashing and cleaning regimen.
