Children, teens and young adults are at greater risk for severe complications from COVID-19 than previously thought and those with underlying health conditions are at even greater risk, according to a study coauthored by a Rutgers researcher.
The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, is the first to describe the characteristics of seriously ill pediatric COVID-19 patients in North America.
“The idea that COVID-19 is sparing of young people is just false,” said study coauthor Lawrence C. Kleinman, professor and vice chair for academic development and chief of the Department of Pediatrics’ Division of Population Health, Quality and Implementation Science at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “While children are more likely to get very sick if they have other chronic conditions, including obesity, it is important to note that children without chronic illness are also at risk. Parents need to continue to take the virus seriously.”
My young grandchildren are in Wales. I'm glad their school is not opening on 1st June so they will be safe at home.
For any parent of a young child, unless they really have to send them to school (key workers), I'd say keep them home. Perhaps Mum or Dad could develop a high temperature or a cough. That gives you 14 days at home, then another family member could do the same and so-on. Hopefully by the start of the September term life will be safer.
Think what could happen to the R rate. One child catches the virus, say on the way to school, then infects the 14 others and their teacher. If the children have no siblings, they go home and infect both parents. Then straight away that is a possible 33, probably more, other infections presuming the teacher has a partner. That is without the virus spreading outside family settings. It is easy to see how pockets of community spread can arise.
Then horror of horrors if one of the parents should die, that poor child will, as is the way, blame themselves for that death, mentally damaging that child for life. Alternatively a child could die.
I paint a worse case scenario there, but perfectly possible. Why not wait for just the seven weeks before the holidays. Seven weeks will not make that much difference to their education, that has already been disrupted. I am sure it will be so much safer by September. Seven weeks of a parent at work before having to stop again before the holidays, I don't think enough child minding services will be available for the six week holiday.
I don't think politicians can be living in the real world at all. I won't say anything about you know who and their actions to protect their child, that other parents should not be doing.
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