We still don’t know the profile of people most at risk of severe disease from Novel Corona Virus infection. This is a very serious situation, says Dr Nancy Messonnier director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. However, we are learning the new Corona Virus is kinder to kids compared to middle-aged and older folks.
Why it Seems Corona Virus Is Kinder to Kids
We don’t understand the biological dynamics behind this yet. However, we can infer the benefit according to Apoorva Mandavilli writing in The New York Times. That’s because relatively few children are developing serious symptoms at least according to available information.
Chief of virology at University of Hong Kong Dr. Malik Peiris explains they don’t have data on milder cases. If they did, they could confirm novel Corona Virus is kinder to kids because they become less seriously ill. However, her ‘strong educated guess’ is younger infected people develop a relatively milder form of the illness.
A Practical Example of a Known Case
Apoorva Mandavilli cites the example of a family living in Shenzhen, China that visited Wuhan. After they returned to Guangdong Province, the adults aged 36 to 66 all developed clinical features of fever, sore throat, diarrhea and pneumonia. However. a 10-year-old child traveling with them was in far better shape.
The child displayed no outward symptoms although they did have signs of viral pneumonia in their lungs. This pattern is typical of known MERS and SARS corona virus outbreaks. For example, no children died during the 2003 SARS epidemic in Hong Kong. Therefore, there is a strong case the new Corona Virus is kinder to kids than adults.
Scientists don’t fully understand how this age-related increase in severity works. However, it is also typical of many other viruses too. Chickenpox, for example can be a walk in the park for children, yet be disastrous for adults.
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Preview Image: Wuhan Citizens Purchasing Vegetables
