"New Coronavirus, Children Are Less Likely to Get Infected"

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] An analysis has emerged that children are less likely to contract the novel coronavirus infection and, even if infected, tend to exhibit relatively mild symptoms.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 5th that claims have been made that children are less susceptible to the novel coronavirus and, if infected, only develop mild symptoms. It is similar to the situation during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreaks, where children were not severely affected.

Dr. Reina McIntyre of the University of New South Wales in Australia, who studies the spread patterns of the novel coronavirus, stated, "It is clear that children either show no noticeable symptoms or only very mild infections."

In fact, a 10-year-old child who visited Wuhan with family members in China did not exhibit infection symptoms such as high fever or sore throat, unlike other family members. Although the child showed signs of pneumonia, no outward symptoms were apparent.

The newspaper reported that in China, 28,000 people have been confirmed infected with the novel coronavirus, with at least 563 deaths, but no children have shown severe symptoms so far. The average age of patients with the novel coronavirus ranges between 49 and 56 years, and males have been found to be more vulnerable to the virus than females.

Experts said, "While the exact reasons cannot be fully understood, the pattern appears similar to past outbreaks," adding, "It seems that differences in symptoms are due to variations in immunity related to aging."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.