The role of children in the spread of coronavirus has been an important question since the first day of the coronavirus epidemic. Now, with some countries allowing schools to reopen a few weeks after the lockdown, scientists are scrambling to find the answer.
Children represent a relatively small proportion of those infected with confirmed COVID-19. Less than 2% of infections in China, Italy and the United States occur in people under 18 years of age.
However, researchers are divided on whether children are less likely to be infected and spread the virus than adults. This is not yet clear to researchers. Some say that as far as the evidence is concerned, children are less at risk. But it is still under research.
Children in Germany and Denmark have already returned to school, and students in several regions of Australia and France are set to return to school gradually in the coming weeks.
Most scientists have taken a stand against children returning to the classroom early. They say the reason for the lower incidence of infection in children than in adults is that they have not shown too many symptoms of the virus - especially because many schools are closed. Researchers also say that children are not tested as often as adults because they carry the coronavirus Covid-19 virus, but most have no visible symptoms.
On the other hand, scientists have not yet reached a definitive and unanimous conclusion about the spread of infection in children. Most scientists are investigating why coronavirus symptoms do not appear.
