COVID-19 symptoms in children different to adults

New data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shed light on COVID-19 in children, including the common symptoms which are less likely to occur in adults.

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The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests while children are less likely to show symptoms of COVID-19 and be hospitalised, some do get sick enough to require hospital treatment.

In a report released overnight, CBC showed fever, cough and shortness of breath were the most common symptoms in kids. However, the virus occurred less often than in adults.

The Australian reports the data, which examined about 150,000 laboratory confirmed US cases in adults and children from February 12 through April 2, mostly echo reports from China about how COVID-19 affects children.

Of the 150,000 laboratory confirmed US cases, 2500 of them – about 2 per cent – were children, it said.

While most children did not become severely ill, three have died.

New @CDCMMWR report is the first to look at #COVID19 illness in kids in the U.S. Among more than 2,500 cases of COVID-19 in children in the U.S., three children reportedly died. https://t.co/IhlUhAoqsZ pic.twitter.com/NPGiM7Hwgk

— CDC (@CDCgov) April 6, 2020

The Australian reports cases were more common in older children and teens but serious illness appeared to be more common in infants.

Cases were also slightly more common in boys than girls.

The authors cautioned many details were missing from paediatric cases so the report should be considered preliminary.

CDC’s report stated the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms which clear up in a few weeks for most people.

However, for some – especially older adults and people with existing health problems – it can cause more severe illness including life-threatening pneumonia.

To date, there have been 1.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and 70,000 deaths.

Of those cases, the US tops the charts with 340,000 reported infections and more than 10,000 deaths.

The Australian reports the authors stressed “social distancing and everyday preventive measures” were recommended for all ages, as people without symptoms, including children, were likely playing a role in transmitting the virus.

The findings come just days after doctors urged parents not to be alarmed by overseas reports of children dying of COVID-19, stressing it remains an absolute rarity – despite at least one Australian baby having to be hospitalised with the virus.

In the past two weeks, an infant aged under 12 months died in the US, as did a 12-year-old girl in Belgium and a reportedly otherwise healthy 13-year-old boy in the UK.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, reports have stated the virus seems to affect older people the most and many young people who test positive experience only mild symptoms or none at all.

SA Health confirmed one eight-month-old baby who tested positive for COVID-19 had been hospitalised but since discharged.

Other state health departments were asked if any people with the virus aged under 20 had been admitted to hospital but they had either not replied or were unable to supply data at the time of going to press.

“The vast majority of young people who have tested positive have no symptoms, or trivial symptoms,” University of Melbourne epidemiologist Professor John Mathews told News Corp.

University of Melbourne epidemiologist Professor John Mathews.

“Clearly young people have less severe infections and we think – although we can’t prove it at the moment – they probably transmit less virus to other people.”

Prof Mathews said it was unclear why some children who tested positive for COVID-19 were getting sick when the majority remained asymptomatic.

“Every biological rule you can think of, there are always exceptions,” he said.

“But the reassuring thing for children at the moment is they’re very unlikely to get ill, and even if they do get ill, the chances of a severe infection or even death is very low.”

Children tended to have less severe infections than adults because of “innate community”, which diminished as people got older, Prof Mathews said.

Originally published as COVID-19 symptoms in children different to adults