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A majority of Dutch children have probably already been infected with the corona virus. That’s what pediatrician and epidemiologist Patricia Bruijning says. The study has no consequences for the school closure in the week before the Christmas holidays. ‘Children are mainly affected by the indirect consequences of the corona crisis.’
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Bruijning and her co-researchers followed a total of 300 families. “If we only count with the infections that have actually been diagnosed, we arrive at the conclusion that a third of Dutch children must have had a corona infection by now,” says Bruijning. in the Volkskrant. “We are sure that this is an underestimate. If we include the suspected infections, we arrive at the conclusion that two thirds of the Dutch children have been infected.’
Few consequences
The infection had few consequences for most children, according to Bruijning. ‘Most of them either did not notice that they were infected or had the same symptoms as with a cold. Children are especially affected by the indirect effects of this crisis, such as not being able to go to school after a positive test and the quarantine rules. I am explicitly not talking about the vulnerable children, that is the group that has by far the greatest chance of ending up in hospital because of the virus.’
Omicron variant
The study has no consequences for the school closure in the last week before the Christmas holidays. ‘It is intended to buy more time to learn about the omikron variant. The virus can spread quickly in schools, because children have a lot of contacts. This delay is important in order to estimate what we can expect from this variant later in the winter. We are still learning about it every week.’
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