According to a study published September 3 in the Journal of Pediatrics, the virus and antibodies may coexist in young patients with Covid-19.
Are children less affected by Covid-19 than adults? Do they have the same viral load as their elders? Are they more or less contagious than their parents? What is the real risk to their health? Studies are growing on how children spread and react to Covid-19. Researchers at Children’s National Hospital, Washington, USA, sought to understand how long it takes young patients to clear the virus from their system and especially when they start to make effective antibodies against Covid. -19. Surprising as it may seem, they found that the virus and antibodies could coexist in young subjects.
To reach these results, the researchers performed a retrospective analysis of 6,369 children tested for Covid-19 and 215 patients who underwent antibody tests at Children’s National between March 13, 2020 and June 21, 2020. Co-workers – virus and antibody tests were carried out in 33 children among these 215 cases. The presence of antibodies in the blood was revealed in nine of them. They subsequently tested positive for the virus. “With most viruses, when you start to detect antibodies, you no longer detect the virus,” said Burak Bahar, lead author of the study and director of the Children’s National computer lab. This means that children still have the potential to transmit the virus even if antibodies are detected. ”
It remains to be seen whether children are still contagious from the moment they start to develop antibodies. This is the next phase of research, says the researcher. He also believes that it is not known, either, whether the antibodies are a signal of immunity and how long the antibodies last and the potential protection against reinfection.
Girls take longer to clear the virus
The study published in the Journal of Pediatrics also assessed when the virus appeared in a young patient and their immunological response. It highlighted the fact that the median time between the detection of a positive viral load and its observed disappearance was 25 days. The presence of antibodies in the blood was revealed after 18 days (median). It took 36 days to reach adequate levels of neutralizing antibodies.
Note that 6-15 year olds took longer to eliminate the virus than 16-22 year olds. The median is located at 32 days vs. 18 days. The patient’s sex was also very important. Girls aged 6 to 15 took longer than boys. The median was 44 days vs. 25.5 days.
“The bottom line here is that we cannot let our guard down just because a child has antibodies or is no longer showing symptoms,” says Dr Bahar. The continued role of good hygiene and social distancing remains paramount. ”
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