Kids Under 10 Less Likely To Drive COVID-19 Outbreaks, Reveals Study

Kids below 10 years of age are not the key source of COVID-19 transmission, found researchers.

The research team from McMaster University in Canada provides high-quality summaries of research evidence to support public health professionals and policymakers in making evidence-based decisions.

Coronavirus
Coronaviruses infect animals, humans, and birds. Human coronaviruses, such as SARS, MERS, and 2019-nCoV cause respiratory distress and even death. The S protein is the infectious agent of the virus.

‘Children under 10 years of age are unlikely to drive outbreaks of COVID-19 in daycares and schools and that, to date, adults were much more likely to be the transmitter of infection than children.’

Tweet it Now

The review found among children who were infected, the transmission was traced back to the community and home settings or adults, rather than amongst children within daycares or schools even in jurisdictions where schools remained open or have since reopened.

"Within household clusters, adults were much more likely to be the index case than children. The quality of evidence is moderate, and the findings are consistent," the authors said.

The review included consideration of 33 research publications. In the second research, the review also found that families are undergoing considerable stress during the pandemic.

COVID-19 and Pregnancy: What Women Need to Know
Pregnant women should practice public health measures that have been recommended and be mindful about whom they are exposed to. They should take extra precautions to safeguard their health and that of their child’s.

"We found that families are under strain, especially female caregivers and children, with increasing gender gaps in employment and household labour and poor mental health outcomes in children," said Neil-Sztramko.

The researchers also found gender gaps in employment between women and men have grown during the pandemic, with women more than men experiencing reduced hours and job losses.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental and Physical Health of Older Adults
Increased loneliness and social isolation observed in older adults over 70 years during the pandemic. Study indicates the involvement of Public health measures like social distancing and cocooning play a role.

Women and higher-income earners are more likely to be in occupations that could be done from home, and among parents who can work from home, mothers reduced their work hours more than fathers, particularly mothers of primary school-aged children.

"We recognised early on that there was a significant need to summarise the overwhelming amount of research evidence emerging on Covid-19, appraise its quality, and distribute widely that evidence to support public health decision making in Canada," the authors wrote.

Tips to Reduce COVID-19- Induced Relationship Woes
COVID-19 has imposed restrictions on relationships and stopped couples from connecting physically with each other. Couples are taking to online dating to keep their relationships alive.

Recently, another study published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal, revealed that mothers with Covid-19 infection are unlikely to pass the virus to their newborn if correct hygiene precautions are observed.

Source-IANS