Those Nerdy Girls Profile picture
Jun 22, 2020 11 tweets 5 min read Read on X
1/ Q: What do we know about #kids and #COVID19 transmission?

A: We STILL need more data. But so far there is evidence that:

1) kids (especially younger kids) are less likely to be infected (yay!).

2) kids *may* be less likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others.
2/ How do we know this?
We know that children are under-represented in case numbers all over the world, but in theory this could be because of mild or #asymptomatic illness that makes them less likely to be #tested.
3/ To rule this out, some studies have tested all members of infected households. Using PCR tests for current infections, kids (esp. ages 0-10) seem about half as likely to become infected as adults.
4/ But if kids are often asymptomatic, they might have already been infected and recovered, and thus less likely to test positive to a PCR test, right?

YES! To get at this, we have some emerging serology (blood) evidence of antibodies--and thus previous infection.
5/ A population-based sample from Geneva found that only 0.8% of children ages 5-9 had positive antibodies, compared to an overall seroprevalence of 10.8% in the population. thelancet.com/journals/lance…
6/ What about transmission?
This one is trickier to pin down, since children may be more likely to be asymptomatic -> less likely to be identified as an “index case” in a household.

Unfortunately, we don’t have any hard data that has followed many kids over time as of yet.
7/ Schools were already closed during many of these early household #ContactTracing studies, meaning kids had less exposure and opportunity to transmit to their families than they normally would have.
8/ We have some evidence that infected kids may have lower viral loads than infected adults, but how this translates into infectiousness is not known.

Hopefully we will have some better data soon because schools are reopening in some countries.🏫
9/ Emerging data is mixed: Denmark re-opened schools without much incident, but some infection flare ups and clusters after classes resumed in Israel (especially in middle & high school, since infection risk for tweens and teens is more similar to adults). npr.org/sections/coron…
10/ Until we have more data, it’s prudent to assume that kids CAN transmit, even if less effectively, and to plan individual, family, and community risk reduction accordingly.

Some helpful summaries of current knowledge on kids and #Covid_19:
dontforgetthebubbles.com/the-missing-li…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Those Nerdy Girls

Those Nerdy Girls Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @DearPandemic

Dec 22, 2022
How can I stay safe during the holidays?

➡️Think in terms of harm reduction. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

dearpandemic.org/safe-holidays/

#covid #rsv #flu #HolidaysAreComing

1/
2/ Just in time for Christmas, #COVID is again on the rise.

#Flu and #RSV may be peaking—but remember that there are often as many cases *after* a peak as before it.

dearpandemic.org/are-cases-peak…
3/ How can we enjoy moments w/ family & friends & lower the risk of illness?

💥 Small steps you take to reduce risk are worthwhile. A little bit better…is a little bit better.

Prevention steps that work for COVID will reduce the risk of RSV, flu, & many other nasty viruses.
Read 14 tweets
May 4, 2022
1/ Q: Has almost everyone been infected with COVID by now?
A: Recent estimates suggest around 58% of the population in the US and over 70% in England have been previously infected, with BIG increases during the Omicron wave.

dearpandemic.org/numbers-infect…
2/ A recent @CDCgov MMWR report estimated seroprevalence from a convenience sample of blood collected for medical tests.

➡️Roughly 58% of Americans showed evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in their blood by Feb '22.

cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/7…? Image
3/ ➡️ During the Omicron wave from December 2021-February 2022, this estimate increased from 33% to 58%.
➡️ Rates vary a lot by age, ranging from 33.2% for those over age 65 to 75% for those under age 18.

cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/7… Image
Read 15 tweets
Apr 29, 2022
1/Q: Did getting exposed to fewer germs for the last 2 years weaken our immune systems?

We've been hearing this question a lot.
dearpandemic.org/fewer-germ-exp…
2/ Not likely. If your kids are suddenly getting sick a lot, this is likely due to “catching up” on exposures rather than a weakened immune system.
3/ Many families w/ young kids have been hunkered down for the better part of 2 years– a good % of a young child’s entire life. While isolation had *many* downsides, we can agree that not having to suction snot out of infant noses or clean up norovirus puke was a happy upside.
Read 18 tweets
Jan 27, 2022
1/ Q: Are cases peaking? That means it’s all downhill from here, right?

A: Sort of…. Remember that even if cases come down as quickly as they rise, there will be as many cases *after* the peak as before (think area under the curve).

dearpandemic.org/are-cases-peak…
2/ ➡️ And if the downward slope is *slower* than the rise, we will see *more* cases during the decline from a surge.
3/ Burning fast could be a silver lining of super transmissible #Omicron. Cases rose & fell quickly in S. Africa (w/ hospitalizations & deaths still lagging). The UK appears to have turned the Omicron corner. Many US states appear past their peak in cases, w/ regional variation:
Read 17 tweets
Dec 30, 2021
1/ Q: Case numbers are jumping QUICK! What should I be doing?

A: Share your gifts without sharing COVID. Helpful gestures come in many shapes.

dearpandemic.org/what-should-i-…

#Omicron #ThoseNerdyGirls
2/ One HUGE help: Cancel non-essential plans.

Unfortunately, this includes New Year’s Eve plans. The perfect storm of a new variant & holiday get-togethers is hitting communities & health care w/ FORCE! Testing is in short supply.
3/ Health care is under extreme pressure with surging cases. If you can avoid even one additional contact, you are helping. This is a temporary and urgent request (from a health care provider).

#MedTwitter #HCWs @IMPACT4HC
Read 10 tweets
Dec 21, 2021
1/ Q: Is it true that #Omicron is less severe than previous variants?

A: We HOPE so, but we don’t know yet. The evidence so far is mixed.

dearpandemic.org/is-omicron-les…
2/ We are WAY past due for some good variant news. But pinning our #Omicron hopes on a less virulent variant is not wise for 2 reasons:

1) It might not be less severe in those who are “immune naïve” (neither vaccinated nor with a previous infection—still millions of people).
3/ 2) Many more infections *even* if less severe can still lead to an avalanche of hospitalizations and deaths, and the risk of long Covid.

@AdamJKucharski raised this last December w/ the rise of Alpha:
Read 25 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(