High levels of the Covid-19 virus in children and easy to transmit

KOMPAS.com – Children are more infectious Covid-19 because they can carry the virus in high levels, even if there are no symptoms.

Recent large-scale research proves this. Scientists even say that children are the ideal “silent spreaders”. That is why the policy to immediately open schools face-to-face needs to be considered.

The latest research, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, was conducted on 192 children and young adults (aged 0-22 years). The test results showed that 49 people were positively infected with Covid-19 and 18 people showed symptoms of a disease related to Covid-19.

Children who are infected, even if they do not show symptoms of illness, have viral load or higher levels of the virus compared to hospitalized adults.

The risk of transmission will increase as it gets higher viral load.

“We were surprised by the high levels of the virus we found in these children, especially in the first two days after infection,” said Dr.Lael Yonker, director of the MGH Cystic Fibrosis Center and lead author of the study.

Also read: Prior to Face-to-Face Learning Degrees, Schools Must Perform Simulations

Alessio Fasano, a member of the research team, said their study data showed that children were not protected from this virus. They can become infected even if the risk for severity is not as great as adults.

However, because children can carry viral load high, they are more infectious to friends and adults who are more vulnerable if exposed.

According to Fasano, because children with high virus levels are asymptomatic, relying on body temperature checks or symptom monitors alone is not enough to make teachers and those around the children safe.

To prevent the transmission of Covid-19 in schools, it is advisable to carry out tests on random students, use masks, maintain distance, and wash hands with soap.

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