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Study: Children more likely to spread COVID-19 than adults

ORLANDO, Fla. — A new study by the University of Florida suggests that children are more likely to spread COVID-19 than adults when they become infected.

The study took half a year to complete. The team analyzed data from Wuhan China, the first epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak.

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They collected data from more than 27,000 households in Wuhan, looking into a total of 55,000 COVID-19 cases.

One of the study’s senior authors, Dr. Yang Yang, says the findings emphasize the need to conduct COVID-19 vaccine safety studies in children.

“People probably don’t really realize how important that is,” Dr. Yang says.

Yang, an Associate Professor of Biostatistics at UF, has been pushing for pharmaceutical companies to start large clinical trials for the vaccines on children.

Pfizer said Friday it enrolled more than 2,000 children between the ages of 12 and 15, filling up their vaccine trial for that age group.

Moderna announced last month they need children 12 to 17 to sign up for their trial.

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However, Dr. Yang says these trials need to be done on young, school-aged children as well, not just those 12 and up.

“I think it’s necessary to start this testing as soon as possible,” Dr. Yang says.

Dr. Yang is adamant about it because of his team’s findings that children are nearly 60% more likely than older adults to spread COVID-19.

“This is the first time we discovered children were actually more infectious, given the same exposure time,” Dr. Yang says.

So while children are less at-risk of contracting COVID-19, and less likely to become severely sick, they are more likely to spread it.

Researchers believe it may be because of their level of close contact with parents, loved ones, and teachers who care for them from day to day. Dr. Yang says those adults need to be protected.

“Vaccinating front-line educational workers and caregivers should be prioritized when doses become available.”

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The UF Health study also found infants were significantly more likely to be infected with COVID than children between the ages of two and five years old.

Researchers also attribute that to close contacts, suggesting they likely got the virus from a parent. Their weaker immune systems also make it harder for them to fight off the virus.