COVID-19: Experts expect more children to get coronavirus as schools reopen – but how dangerous is that? | UK news

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Hundreds of thousands of students are returning to classrooms this week, and experts expect a spike in COVID-19 cases linked to the reopening of schools in England and Wales.

School principals’ unions have expressed concerns as several safety measures to combat the spread of the virus in schools have been relaxed since the end of last term.

This prompted the government to confront allegations that it was implementing a “hit and hope” strategy for the return of students.

Amid fears that more children will contract COVID as schools reopen, how dangerous is the virus to youngsters and could vaccinating children under the age of 12 curb the infection?

Photo: In Scotland, face coverings are still required throughout the school day

:: Are children more likely to catch COVID as schools reopen?

The simple answer is – yes, says Dr David Strain, Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School.

“The summer vacation was like a fire,” he told Sky News.

“What we now expect is rates to go up and the R number to jump to about 1.7 — basically doubling in case numbers on a weekly basis.”

England’s current reproduction number – or R-value – ranges between 1 and 1.1, according to the latest official data.

In Scotland, Covid cases among young people rose sharply after schools reopened and restrictions were lifted two weeks ago.

Experts have warned that it is “highly likely” that there will be significant levels of infection in UK schools by the end of September.

The government’s scientific advisers said rolling out the vaccine would make “almost no difference” for many students because it currently only extends to 16-17-year-olds, along with some younger children who are at greater risk from the virus.

Photo: A student at Outwood Academy in Doncaster takes a COVID test

:: What are the risks that the Corona virus poses to children?

According to Dr. Strain, most children with COVID will experience a “very, very mild illness” that is nothing more than a bad cold.

But he added, “They can pass it on to the parents, so there’s a risk for any parent who’s not immune to their kids getting it, but that’s where the risks lie.”

Less than 30 people under the age of 18 died of COVID in England between February 2020 and March this year, according to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI).

Professor Tim Spector, chief scientist for the ZOE COVID study, said it was “still very unlikely that if your child gets COVID, they will end up in the hospital.”

Dr. Michael Absoud, a consultant pediatric neurologist, said most children admitted to hospital with the virus “recover well”.

He added, “Unfortunately 24 children died in the first wave of the epidemic, but many of them developed comorbidities that put them at much greater risk.”

These high-risk health conditions include neurological conditions, severe learning disabilities, and some genetic disorders such as Down syndrome.

Children who are immunosuppressed — which means they have a weakened immune system — either as a result of a health condition or due to medications, are also at increased risk of COVID.

:: What are the most common symptoms of COVID in children?

The NHS says the main symptom of Covid in children is a high temperature. New and persistent cough and loss or change in the sense of smell or taste.

However, Emma Duncan, professor of endocrinology at King’s College London, said asymptomatic infections are common among children.

“On average, of those infected with the virus, somewhere between 40% and 70% of children have no symptoms at all,” she said.

Professor Duncan said symptoms can vary depending on the child’s age, with stomach aches being more common in younger children, while older children are more likely to experience a loss of smell.

Duration of illness can also indicate whether a child has COVID.

Professor Duncan said that children who have confirmed symptoms of COVID get sick for about six days, while patients with another illness are weak for an average of three days.

Photo: Schools reopened in Scotland last month

:: What are the risks of prolonged spread of the Corona virus to children?

Up to one in seven babies infected with the coronavirus can show symptoms after about four months, according to the world’s largest long-running study of COVID.

The researchers looked at nearly 7,000 children, including those who tested positive for COVID between January and March and a group who tested negative for COVID in the same period.

The study’s lead author, Professor Sir Terence Stephenson, said there was “firm evidence that some adolescents will have persistent symptoms” after contracting COVID.

“Our study supports this evidence, with headaches and unusual tiredness being the most common complaints,” he said.

Dr. Strain said he has concerns about the prolonged impact of COVID on pupils.

“Children are an effective sponge,” he told Sky News.

“If children miss school due to burnout and brain fog, it will have an overall impact on their well-being.”

:: Should children be vaccinated against Covid disease?

COVID vaccines have been offered to all people aged 16-17 in the UK, and those younger with serious underlying health conditions, or if they live with someone at high risk.

JCVI has not yet decided whether to extend the rollout to all people between the ages of 12 and 15.

A study by Dr. Strain and other experts found that giving the vaccine to adolescents and children “has the potential to play a vital role” in reducing infections and deaths from the coronavirus.

They predicted that vaccinating all people aged 12 to 15 in the UK could reduce all COVID deaths by 18% and reduce hospital cases by 21% through December.

“The majority of lives saved will be at the age of parents and grandparents,” Dr. Strain told Sky News.

“This is the moral argument. We will mostly vaccinate children to save the lives of their parents and grandparents.”

Dr. Strain said rare cases of myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart — have been reported with the Pfizer and Moderne vaccines, and he believes JCVI has been “cautious” about its decision in order to determine this risk.

His study, which has not been peer-reviewed, was funded by Moderna, but he insisted the company had no influence on the results.

:: Do newer COVID variants pose a greater risk to children?

The delta variant still causes milder disease in children than it does in adults, but it is a “more serious infection” when compared to the other variants, according to Dr. Strin.

“We know that children can pick up the delta variant and disease from the delta variant and make enough copies of the delta variant to infect others,” he said.

“With the alpha variant, there have been very few recorded cases of child-to-adult transmission.

“Using the delta variant, we definitely see cases going in both directions, so we know it’s more contagious.

“Anything that’s contagious between you and another person is also more contagious inside your body.”

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Dr Strain also expressed concerns that new mutations could emerge if they “go up significantly”.

The emergence of a new species that can be easily transported outdoors, he said, will have a huge impact on schoolchildren.

“If children suddenly can’t take off their masks on the playground as well as they can’t take them off in class, it will have a huge impact on the psychological development of the children,” he said.

:: What can children do to protect themselves from COVID at school?

Schools and colleges in England no longer have to keep pupils in annual group “bubbles” to reduce mixing, and face coverings are no longer advised.

Children do not have to isolate if they come into contact with a positive case of COVID. Instead, they will need to do a PCR test and isolate only if it is positive.

But all secondary school students were invited to take two lateral flow device tests at school – three to five days apart – in England upon their return to class.

Dr. Strain said parents concerned about children catching COVID at school should encourage them to continue wearing face masks when appropriate and social distancing.

He added that children who tested positive for the virus should rest and “take a lot of time to get better.”

“It seems that going back and forth and pushing themselves is one of the risk factors for coronavirus for a long time,” he said.

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