A new study suggests that younger children are more likely to spread COVID-19 within households compared to older children.
The study, published in The Journal of American Medicine Association, said the highest odds of transmission were in children between 0 and 3 years old compared to children between 14 and 17 years old. Children between 4 and 13 years old also had increased odds of transmitting the virus but not as high compared to the younger demographic.
Researchers studied more than 6,000 households in Canada between June 1 and December 31, 2020, to gather results.
"As the number of pediatric cases increases worldwide, the role of children in household transmission will continue to grow," the researchers wrote. "We found that younger children may be more likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with older children, and the highest odds of transmission were observed for children aged 0 to 3 years."
The study said the differences in transmission rates among children may be due to viral shedding, symptom expression and behaviors, such as the inability to socially distance themselves and self-isolate, but researchers pointed out that further research is needed.
However, the researchers noted that children don’t seem to spread COVID-19 as frequently as adults.
With the highly contagious delta variant spreading across the U.S., children are filling hospital intensive care beds instead of classrooms in record numbers, more even than at the height of the pandemic. Many are too young to get the vaccine, which is available only to those 12 and over.
Very high infection rates in the community "are really causing our children’s hospitals to feel the squeeze," said Dr. Buddy Creech, a Vanderbilt University infectious disease specialist who is helping lead research on Moderna’s vaccine for children under 12. Creech said those shots probably won’t be available for several months. Pfizer’s shot is available for that age group now.
While pediatric COVID-19 hospitalization rates are lower than those for adults, they have surged in recent weeks, reaching 0.41 per 100,000 children ages 0 to 17, compared with 0.31 per 100,000, the previous high set in mid-January, according to an Aug. 13 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Francis Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, calls the spike in cases among children "very worrisome."
He noted that over 400 U.S. children have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. "And right now we have almost 2,000 kids in the hospital, many of them in ICU, some of them under the age of 4," Collins told FOX News earlier this month.
Health experts believe adults who have not gotten their shots are contributing to the surge among grownups and children alike. It has been especially bad in places with lower vaccination rates, such as parts of the South.
Studies are underway to test COVID-19 vaccines in children younger than 12 years old.
Two COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers — Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — have agreed to expand their studies to include more children between 5 and 11 years old following a request from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 170 million Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated, representing 60.1% of the demographic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Utafiti mpya unaonyesha kuwa watoto wadogo wana uwezekano mkubwa wa kueneza COVID-19 ndani ya nyumba ikilinganishwa na watoto wakubwa. Utafiti huo uliochapishwa katika jarida la American Medical Association, ulisema kuwa uwezekano mkubwa wa kuambukizwa ni kwa watoto wenye umri wa miaka 0 hadi 3 ikilinganishwa na watoto wenye umri wa miaka 14 hadi 17. Watoto wenye umri wa miaka 4 hadi 13 pia wana uwezekano mkubwa wa kuambukizwa virusi, lakini sio kubwa ikilinganishwa na idadi ya watu wadogo. Watafiti walichunguza zaidi ya nyumba 6,000 nchini Canada kati ya Juni 1 na Desemba 31, 2020, ili kukusanya matokeo. "Kadiri idadi ya visa vya watoto inavyoongezeka ulimwenguni pote, jukumu la watoto katika maambukizi ya nyumbani litaendelea kuongezeka", watafiti waliandika. "Tunaona kwamba watoto wadogo wanaweza kuwa na uwezekano mkubwa wa kuambukiza SARS-CoV-2 ikilinganishwa na watoto wakubwa, na uwezekano mkubwa wa maambukizi ulionekana kwa watoto wenye umri wa miaka 0 hadi 3.""" "Utafiti huo ulisema tofauti katika viwango vya maambukizi kati ya watoto inaweza kuwa kutokana na ""kuvuja kwa virusi, kuonyeshwa kwa dalili na tabia, kama vile kutokuwa na uwezo wa kujitenga kijamii na kujitenga,"" lakini watafiti walionyesha kuwa utafiti zaidi unahitajika." Hata hivyo, watafiti waligundua kuwa watoto hawawezi kueneza COVID-19 mara nyingi kama watu wazima. "Kwa sababu ya kuenea kwa aina ya Delta, watoto wanajaza vitanda vya wagonjwa mahututi katika hospitali badala ya madarasa kwa idadi kubwa zaidi kuliko wakati wa janga hilo.""" Wengi wao ni wadogo sana kupata chanjo, ambayo inapatikana tu kwa wale wenye umri wa miaka 12 na zaidi. Viwango vya juu sana vya maambukizi katika jamii "kwa kweli vinasababisha hospitali za watoto wetu kuhisi shinikizo", alisema Dakt. Buddy Creech, mtaalamu wa magonjwa ya kuambukiza katika Chuo Kikuu cha Vanderbilt, ambaye anasaidia kuongoza utafiti wa chanjo ya Moderna kwa watoto chini ya miaka 12. Creech alisema kwamba risasi hizo huenda zisipatikane kwa miezi kadhaa. Chanjo ya Pfizer inapatikana kwa kikundi hicho cha umri sasa. "Wakati viwango vya kulazwa hospitalini kwa watoto kwa COVID-19 ni chini kuliko kwa watu wazima, vimeongezeka katika wiki za hivi karibuni, kufikia 0.41 kwa watoto 100,000 wenye umri wa miaka 0 hadi 17, ikilinganishwa na 0.31 kwa 100,000, kiwango cha juu cha awali kilichowekwa katikati ya Januari, kulingana na ripoti ya Agosti 13 kutoka kwa Vituo vya Kudhibiti na Kuzuia Magonjwa. """ "Dakt. Francis Collins, mkuu wa Taasisi ya Kitaifa ya Afya, anasema kwamba ongezeko kubwa la visa vya ugonjwa huo miongoni mwa watoto ni ""linalosumbua sana.""" Zaidi ya watoto 400 nchini Marekani wamefariki kutokana na ugonjwa wa COVID-19 tangu kuanza kwa janga hilo. """Sasa tuna watoto karibu 2,000 katika hospitali, wengi wao katika ICU, baadhi yao chini ya umri wa miaka minne,"" Collins aliambia FOX News mapema mwezi huu." Wataalamu wa afya wanasema watu wazima ambao hawajajipe chanjo wanachangia kuongezeka kwa idadi ya watu wazima na watoto. Hali hiyo imekuwa mbaya hasa katika maeneo yenye viwango vya chini vya chanjo, kama vile sehemu za Kusini. Majaribio ya majaribio ya chanjo ya COVID-19 yanafanywa kwa watoto chini ya umri wa miaka 12. Kampuni mbili zinazotengeneza chanjo za COVID-19 - Pfizer, BioNTech na Moderna - zimekubaliana kupanua masomo yao ili kujumuisha watoto zaidi kati ya miaka 5 na 11 kufuatia ombi kutoka kwa Utawala wa Chakula na Dawa wa Marekani. Kulingana na Kituo cha Udhibiti na Kuzuia Magonjwa cha Marekani, zaidi ya Wamarekani milioni 170 wenye umri wa miaka 12 na zaidi wamepewa chanjo kamili, wakifanyiza asilimia 60.1 ya idadi ya watu. Shirika la habari la Associated Press lilisaidia kutengeneza ripoti hii. Hadithi hii iliripotiwa kutoka Los Angeles.