- Researchers have found that tracking asymptomatic COVID-19 cases in children could help prevent outbreaks.
- Experts say identifying these “silent carriers” may be as effective at stopping disease outbreaks as vaccinating them against the disease.
- No COVID-19 vaccine is currently authorized for use in children under the age of 16.
Quickly identifying children who silently transmit the virus that causes COVID-19 may help curb outbreaks as effectively as vaccinating them against the disease, a
Researchers from across the United States and Canada developed a simulated model of how the virus is transmitted that takes into account different age groups, the natural history of pandemic disease, vaccination, and interventions like self-isolation.
They concluded that it’s important to start contact tracing at the first sign of infection instead of waiting for test results.
“A substantial proportion of COVID-19 cases are attributed to silent transmission from individuals in the presymptomatic and asymptomatic stages of infection,” the study authors wrote.
Source: healthline