Over one-third kids with Covid-19 show no symptoms: Should you worry about asymptomatic infection?

Because asymptomatic people feel well and don't realize they have it, they socialize with friends and unintentionally spread the virus. This is a big issue, say researchers.

By: Longjam Dineshwori | | Updated: December 1, 2020 4:14 pm

The levels of the virus in asymptomatic children were mostly lower than the levels that the current rapid antigen tests can detect.

Research by different groups of scientists has indicated that children are less likely to spread Covid-19 than adults. However, the risk is not zero, said a new study, suggesting that many kids could be asymptomatic spreaders. Also Read - Green tea, dark chocolate, grapes may help you fight the COVID-19 virus

More than one-third of kids who have Covid-19 are asymptomatic, meaning they show no symptoms, according to the study published in the journal CMAJ. Also Read - Centre's new COVID-19 guidelines for December: What’s allowed, what isn’t

Study author Finlay McAlister from the University of Alberta in Canada pointed out that there may be a lot of Covid-19 circulating in the community that people don’t even realize. He added that youngsters diagnosed with the disease may represent just a fraction of those infected. Also Read - Avoid wearing face mask halfway: Coronavirus may enter brain via nose

What made the researchers say so?

For the study, the research team analysed medical data from 2,463 children who were tested for Covid-19 infection during the first wave of the pandemic – March to September. As many as 1,987 children tested positive and 476 had a negative result. Among the children who tested positive, 35.9 per cent were asymptomatic.

It is said that asymptomatic spreaders are less contagious than those showing Covid-19 symptoms. But McAlister has doubt if it could be true.

Although cough, runny nose and sore throat were found to be the most common symptoms among children with Covid-19 infection, these symptoms were seen even more among those with negative results. Therefore, the researchers and cough, runny nose and sore throat are not predictive of a positive test.

“Of course, kids are at risk of contracting many different viruses, so the Covid-specific symptoms are actually more things like loss of taste and smell, headache, fever, and nausea and vomiting, not runny nose, a cough and sore throat,” IANS quoted McAlister as saying.

Because asymptomatic patients feel well and don’t realize they have it, they socialize with friends and unintentionally spread the virus. This is a big issue, the authors noted while recommending that everybody should follow the basic safety measures such as wearing a protective mask, frequent handwashing, keeping distance, and avoiding meeting indoors.

Asymptomatic infection: Is it something to worry about?

Most asymptomatic children have significantly low levels of the virus compared to those who experience symptoms, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

It may provide some reassurance about the safety of asymptomatically infected children, but these findings also indicate the risk of spreading of COVID-19 in daycares and schools. However, how lower viral loads impact the risk of COVID-19 transmission remains unclear.

The researchers also found that the levels of the virus in the asymptomatic children were mostly lower than the levels that the current rapid antigen tests can detect. This raises concern about the use of low sensitivity diagnostic tests for screening the paediatric population.

A review of clinical data of more than 7,500 individuals with Covid-19 from 26 countries found that nearly a fifth of the paediatric population with Covid-19 did not exhibit any symptoms. However, the study – published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, a journal of The Lancet – stated that Covid-19 infected children demonstrated better positive clinical developments compared to adults.

Why children seem to be less affected by the virus?

Even if children show symptoms, most cases are mild, according to researchers and doctors. For example, a review of 18 studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, revealed that most paediatric cases of COVID-19 exhibited mild symptoms like fever, dry cough, and fatigue, recovering within one or two weeks.

One possible reason for lower infection rate in children is that they have lower volumes of ACE2 receptor in their lungs. ACE2 receptor is a protein that allows the COVID-19 virus to thrive and multiply, according to experts. In addition, kids have a stronger immune system and they recover faster than adults.

Having said so, cases of severe manifestations including pneumonia, shock, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and kidney failure have also been reported among children with COVID-19. Luckily, COVID-19 mortality in kids is reportedly way below other age groups.

With inputs from IANS

Published : December 1, 2020 3:58 pm | Updated:December 1, 2020 4:14 pm

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