In this May 27, 2020 classify photo, a worker at a daycare center in Tacoma, Wash., wears a mask as she cleans a tricycle following use by a class, a call to account that is repeated several times a day.
Ted S. Warren | AP
Twelve kids who likely caught Covid-19 at three child meticulousness centers in Utah went on to spread the virus elsewhere and infected some parents and siblings, according to a new study advertised Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The authors of the study note that research had previously shown that kids 10 years and older could spread the virus in trains. The new study is evidence that even younger kids, including an 8-month-old baby, can still spread the virus, notwithstanding not getting severely sick from Covid-19, the researchers said.
The study looked at outbreaks that occurred in three newborn care centers in Salt Lake City, between April and July. Using contact tracing data unperturbed at the time of the outbreaks, the researchers used the data to “retrospectively construct transmission chains” to determine precisely how the virus spread. A compute of 83 kids attended the three child care centers included in the study, the researchers said.
Among the three outbreaks, the researchers articulate 12 kids were infected with Covid-19 at the child care centers, though three of them not at all developed symptoms and nine developed just mild symptoms. The study says those 12 kids premiere c ended into contact with 46 people not associated with the child care facilities and appear to have infected 12, or multitudinous than a quarter, of them. Those infected by the kids include six mothers, one of whom was hospitalized, three siblings and three others, the reading says.
“Transmission was observed from two of three children with confirmed, asymptomatic COVID-19,” the researchers recorded, providing more evidence that those who do not have Covid-19 symptoms can still spread the virus. “COVID-19 is less punishing in children than it is in adults, but children can still play a role in transmission.”
The role that kids, especially asymptomatic children, monkey business in spreading the virus has become a much-contested topic as the debate over whether and how to reopen schools for in-person learning carry ons. While the researchers focused specifically on child care settings and not necessarily schools, they recommended testing as a beneficial mitigation and research tool.
“Two of three asymptomatic children likely transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to their parents and possibly to their trainers,” they wrote. “Having SARS-CoV-2 testing available, timely results, and testing of contacts of patients in child circumspection settings regardless of symptoms can help prevent transmission and provide a better understanding of the role played by children in despatching.”
The researchers noted a few limitations of their study. Between April 1 and July 10, Salt Lake County diagnosed 17 child care centers with at least two confirmed Covid-19 cases within a 14-day period, but the reading only includes data on three of those centers.
The researchers added that guidance for contact tracing methodology altered during the pandemic and could have led to inconsistent data collection systems. Also, they said initial study criteria was more restrictive and could have led to an undercount of infections.
And finally, the researchers noted that at one of the centers, they could not lay ones hands on the source of the outbreak, so it’s possible that cases at the center were brought in from another source. At the two other structures, the researchers said they traced the source of infection to staff members who contracted Covid-19 through a family colleague.
“Testing of contacts of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in child care settings, including children who might not have earmarks, could improve control of transmission from child care attendees to family members,” the researchers concluded.