Children are naturally protected against Coronavirus by their immune systems, study has verified.
The study was published yester night, in Science Translational Medicine and was conducted by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), and Yale University.
The study involved 60 adult COVID-19 patients and 65 pediatric COVID-19 patients (less than 24 years old) hospitalized at CHAM and Montefiore Health System between March 13 and May 17, 2020.
20 of the pediatric patients had the novel multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). The patients’ blood was tested for the presence of several types of immune cells, antibody responses, and the inflammatory proteins, known as cytokines, that immune cells produce.
Children with COVID-19 fared significantly better than adults. Twenty-two adults (37%) required mechanical ventilation compared with only five (8%) of the pediatric patients.
In addition, 17 adults (28%) died in the hospital compared with two (3%) of the pediatric patients. No deaths occurred among pediatric patients with MIS-C.
“Our findings suggest that children with COVID-19 do better than adults because their stronger innate immunity protects them against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease,” said Betsy Herold, co-senior author of the study.
Scholars want these studies verified by the world’s health governing body, WHO– which is yet to issued any guidelines for reopening of schools globally.
On other related news, Kenya Teacher Service Commission has directed all school heads to reopen schools on Monday,
