March 18, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

Coronavirus is the germ that targeted all human beings worldwide. No one can be excluded. Currently, the concern of babies and preschoolers is getting more tension from the professional fields. 

China, the origination of coronavirus, recently published an online paper to explain how younger children could be affected by the virus. Therefore, experts and hospital can have a full preparation of medical treatment and of vaccine development. They have analyzed more than 2,000 cases of ill children across China. 

Cases were reported to the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from February 8th. The result showed that 50% of children experienced mild symptoms such as cough, fatigue, and fever. Around 39% of children turned moderately sick with additional symptoms including lung problems revealed by the CT scan or pneumonia. Shortness breath is not the major symptoms for children. Around 4% of children did not show any symptoms. 

Dr. Sean O’Leary, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with the University of Colorado Denver, stated that the study claimed that younger children has less possibility to develop into a severe symptom than adults; what’s more, some children do not have symptoms at all.

The study also figured out that younger children, especially infants, have higher possibility to get the severe symptoms. The study only analyzed children with the symptoms of COVID-19. This cannot show how the other children’s reaction if they are not confirmed cases. 

On one hand experts are still trying to figure out why children have less severe symptoms than adults; on the other hand, health experts keep giving parents several steps to prevent the virus: keeping social distance, washing hands often, and teaching them not to touch their eyes, noses, faces as possible. 

Photo:Webshot.