Children also contract the coronavirus and may have complications because of it, but they secrete much less virus than adults. This is reported in a study by a team of researchers in Berlin, Medportal.ru reported.
Fifteen children, aged 8-10, and adult volunteers, aged 23-64, participated in the study. Using a laser meter, the researchers measured the amount of aerosol particles that appear in the air when breathing, talking, singing, and shouting. Also, they measured the speed of propagation of these particles.
It was found that the intensity of aerosol particles released by children is 4.3 times lower when breathing, talking, and singing than in adults, and the speed of propagation of these particles is 5 times lower. Moreover, there was no considerable difference in the amount of particles emitted during the shouting between the groups.
According to researchers, these data can be explained by the difference in the anatomy of the respiratory organs of children and adults. For example, children have smaller lungs and shorter vocal cords. So, in case of contracting COVID-19, these features may also be associated with less viral load in children, which is why they are less susceptible to the infection and often overcome it without symptoms.