“substantial transmission occurred whether the index patient was an adult or a child,” researchers said.
the team stressed the urgency of taking preventative measures immediately if there has been a risk of exposure. “an important finding of this study is that fewer than one half of household members with confirmed sars-cov-2 infections reported symptoms at the time infection was first detected,” they said. “many reported no symptoms throughout seven days of follow up, underscoring the potential for transmission from asymptomatic secondary contacts and the importance of quarantine.”
while it can be difficult to keep your distance from family members, especially in smaller homes, it’s important to try, said pediatrician tanya altmann. “if it’s a child that you have to care for, then you may have to make the decision to isolate one adult with the child,” she said. “that adult would be caring for the child, and the other adult would be responsible for the rest of family.”
“unfortunately,” she added, “you need to keep the whole household under isolation. the patterns of covid-19 spread suggest that clusters of people who live close together are at highest risk of getting it from one another. if children are part of that household, they may show minimal symptoms but still be contagious.”
it’s time to identify the helpers
now may be the time to reach out to the people around you for help, even if you haven’t been previously close, said jenny radesky, a pediatrician and spokesperson for the
american academy of pediatrics
. “know who your neighbours are, even what your neighbourhood social network might be,” she said. “you may not be that close interpersonally, but someone may be willing to do a grocery store drop-off, or pick up medications because we’re all in this together.”