in ontario, more cases of covid-19 are appearing in people under the age of 20, according to new research from the
university of guelph.the bulk of new cases are appearing in toronto, hamilton, york region and peel region — which have all seen delays in entering stage two of reopening.the research is not yet published, but it comes amidst a growing body of evidence of a rise of covid-19 cases in youths.
israel has seen 627 students and faculty infected since reopening its schools. 168 schools have closed and 21,807 students and staff remain in isolation. in the u.s., washington state has seen a 10 per cent decline in cases in adults age 60 years and older and a
20 per cent increase in people age 0 to 39.the u.k. reported
24 respiratory outbreaks in schools this week. and in germany, the
percentage of youth under 19 years old infected (7.5 per cent) had surpassed adults (6.5 per cent) and seniors (2.9 per cent).last month, healthing looked at the available research on
children and covid-19 and found that while children have more protection compared to adults, they are still as infectious as adults.a new study published in nature suggests
youth under 20 are half as susceptible compared to adults over 20, and also less likely to show symptoms if infected. this supports the idea of children returning to school this fall. however, the study does not look at how infected children could transmit to adults — a lingering concern many physicians have.one preprint study on household transmission found children in israel were
85 per cent as much as infectious as adults.and while youth are less susceptible, they may be socializing more and less cautious of physical distancing guidelines. the higher amount of exposure they put themselves eventually overrides their advantage of less susceptibility.this week, toronto’s hospital for sick children released
guidelines for children returning to school this september. several pediatric epidemiologists and infectious diseases physicians have expressed concerns for the assumptions it makes based on limited knowledge.
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