[Source:  Medical X-Press]

Children and young people are around 40% percent less likely to be infected than adults when exposed to someone with the virus, finds a new study of global COVID-19 transmission data, co-led by UCL researchers.

In this study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers have updated their previous systematic review and meta-analysis, published as a preprint in May, to encompass more than 13,900 studies, to understand how likely it is that children catch COVID-19 (known as susceptibility) and whether they pass it on to others (known as transmission or infectiousness).

Lead author Professor Russell Viner (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health) said: “We have now assessed twice as many COVID-19 contact-tracing and population screening studies, providing more robust data and conclusions.

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