False: Children can’t get infected with the novel coronavirus.

By: Veena S
January 31 2022

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Children can contract Covid-19 but there have been relatively few cases in children and usually, their symptoms tend to be milder compared to adults. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people of all ages can contract the coronavirus. Although older people with pre-existing conditions are more susceptible to the virus, all age groups can contract the disease. WHO's Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also said that relatively few cases were seen in children, but that more research was needed to understand the reason behind it. According to Johns Hopkins University, COVID-19 symptoms are milder in children than in adults. In a recent study published in Pediatrics of COVID-19 in Chinese children, 90% of those who tested positive for the disease had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic. However, severe illness in children with COVID-19 is possible. In the study, 10 percent of infants with a positive COVID-19 test became critically ill. According to some doctors in the U.K and U.S, a small number of children between ages 2 and 15 have experienced Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome or PIMS. PIMS can cause inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. The swelling can limit blood flow, damaging the heart and other organs. Therefore, people belonging to all age groups should take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example, by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.