Why kids may be silent carriers of COVID 19

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COVID-19: It's a unique virus because many people who have it show no symptoms. This is especially true of children. This article will discuss why children may be asymptomatic.

The new evidence regarding COVID-19 and kids

Evidence from recent studies is uncovering the following about COVID-19 in kids:

1) They can be contagious even if they show no symptoms. The scary truth is that kids who have recovered from COVID-19 can still be contagious!
2) Kids are thought to have more immunity to the virus because they carry very few receptors that can 'pick this virus up!'
3) Kids can carry greater numbers of the virus as well as more virulent strains. They are much more likely to transmit more serious versions of the virus.

In fact, studies done on children who were hospitalized in South Korea with COVID-19 showed that up to 93% showed little or no symptoms. This gave them plenty of opportunities to spread the virus to vulnerable sections of the population. Part of the reason why so many kids are undiagnosed is that they have more robust immune systems than older people. Their youth also makes them healthier - viruses tend to stay longer and do more damage in the less healthy.

This can be dangerous

The results from these studies are leading experts to question if requiring masks and enforcing social distancing measures will really work when trying to prevent kids from spreading the virus to people who could get sick or even die from the virus. The fear is that many more kids will get the virus and transmit it to other members of their families and their older friends as they start to go back to school. What makes things worse is that health experts and the WHO are debating the true and long-term effectiveness of masks and social distancing in terms of stopping COVID-19 from infecting and sickening so many older people.

What schools are doing?

Health experts may debate the real effectiveness of masks and social distancing, but no one denies that frequent hand washing and disinfecting of commonly used surfaces helps to dramatically halt the spread of the virus. Schools are responding by requiring students to wear masks and practice social distancing measures. They are also frequently checking temperatures and encouraging good cleanliness and sanitation practices. Schools are also sending kids who have a temperature or who are constantly coughing and sniffling home until they have recovered for at least 24 hours. Many other schools are not taking any chances. They are putting as many courses online as possible and they are emphasizing virtual and distance learning. This is especially true in California and Florida!

It may be that only time will tell

Indeed, it may be that only time will tell if kids are indeed 'the silent spreader' of the disease because so many of them either show no symptoms or recover quickly while still carrying the virus pathogens. This makes it easy for them to give the virus to others!