Children, although less likely to have COVID-19 symptoms, transmit as much virus as seriously ill adults

Experts warn that reopening schools and kindergartens in September may contribute to an increase in SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections. New research shows that children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus who do not have symptoms have high levels of the virus in the body.

1. More and more research concerns the role of children in the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Children are less likely to become infected and rarely show symptoms of the disease. It turns out, however, that they can infect as effectively as adults
2. Research shows that children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus have surprisingly high levels of the virus in the body. Researchers note that hospitalized adults have a lower titer than asymptomatic children
3. “Children are a possible source of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and this should be taken into account when planning the reopening of schools”

Children can play a big role in the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

New research has shown that when children return to school, they can play a role in the transmission of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus. This is because, although they rarely show symptoms of the disease after infection, the viral load in their body is comparable to that observed in seriously ill adults.

This means that children who become infected but don’t have any obvious symptoms of COVID-19 are still potentially contagious. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we mainly examined patients with symptoms, so we came to the wrong conclusion that the vast majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are adults” – explained Alessio Fasano, a pediatric gastroenterologist who works at MassGeneral Hospital, quoted by Science Alert for Children in Boston, who was one of the authors of the new study. «Our results show that children are not protected against this virus. So we should not ignore them as potential ‘spreaders’ of the virus, ”he added.

The study, which was conducted at two Boston hospitals at the height of the epidemic, has so far taken the most comprehensive approach to analyzing pediatric COVID-19 patients.

Among 192 respondents aged 0 to 22, there were 49 children who were carriers of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and 18 children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) – a condition related to COVID-19. What did the scientists observe?

See also: A mysterious disease of children linked to COVID-19. What do we already know about it?

Children have high levels of the virus in their bodies, even when they are asymptomatic

They found that compared to adults hospitalized for COVID-19, the children in the study had surprisingly higher levels of coronavirus in the airways, especially during the first two days of infection. Lael Yonker, a pulmonologist and pediatrician of Massachusetts General Hospital, admits he didn’t expect viral load levels to be so high in children.

“You think about the hospital and all the precautions taken to treat seriously ill adults, but the viral load of these hospitalized patients is much lower than that of an asymptomatic child who walks freely among healthy people,” added Yonker.

The result is disturbing, because a higher coronavirus titer could potentially mean greater shedding of the virus and therefore greater contagion. Research suggests that children may be a hidden source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

The study showed that pediatric patients showed no marked difference in viral load compared to adults requiring intubation for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. The viral load of children in the symptomatic or early stage of infection was significantly higher than in children hospitalized for more than seven days.

Interestingly, some adult studies suggest that the higher the viral load in the body, the more severe the effects of the infection, but for some reason the relationship does not seem to apply to children.

See also: Children are infected with the coronavirus in the same way as adults. Big research

Returning to school can make pandemic management more difficult

The study’s authors note that the discovery could make it much more difficult to implement an infection control strategy, especially as mild COVID-19 symptoms are very similar to other common diseases. Studies have shown that only half of children with acute infections from SARS-CoV-2 had high body temperatures. This means that taking the temperature, for example at school entrance, may not be an effective tool to ‘screen out’ potentially infected children.

Instead, the authors suggest focusing on strategies that help keep social distancing, as well as wearing face masks (e.g. in older children) and partially remote learning.

“Children are a possible source of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and this should be taken into account when planning the reopening of schools,” adds Fasano. The study was published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

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