In a new study, researchers found that children younger than 5 years with mild to moderate COVID-19 have much higher levels of genetic material for the virus in the nose compared to older children and adults.
The findings point to the possibility that the youngest children transmit the virus as much as other age groups.
The ability of younger children to spread COVID-19 may have been under-recognized given the rapid and sustained closure of schools and daycare during the pandemic.
The research was conducted by a team from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
In the study, the team analyzed 145 cases of mild to moderate COVID-19 illness within the first week of symptom onset.
They compared the viral load in three age groups – children younger than 5 years, children 5-17 years, and adults 18-65 years.
They found that children under 5 with COVID-19 have a higher viral load than older children and adults, which may suggest greater transmission, as we see with the respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV.
This has important public health implications, especially during discussions on the safety of reopening schools and daycare.
One author of the study is Taylor Heald-Sargent, MD, PhD, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Lurie Children’s.
The study is published in JAMA Pediatrics.
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