Children contributing to spread and evolution of COVID-19: research
New research suggests that children are contributing to how quickly COVID-19 variants evolve due to new evidence of how they can spread the virus.
Several U.S hospitals and medical schools studied data from Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. They examined age, symptom duration and the severity of the illness in children.
“In the initial stages (of the pandemic) we thought children younger than eight would be less likely to spread (COVID-19),” said Dr. Tehseen Ladha, a pediatrician. “That theory has been debunked over and over.
“We see in this particular study that children carry very high viral loads within their respiratory passages and that’s one of the factors in transmitting COVID.”
Children tend to be less likely to have severe COVID-19 symptoms, but they are able to spread it to someone more likely to have a severe outcome, according to Ladha.
“It’s so important to address the transmission of COVID amongst kids, because many people say if children are less likely to get severe side effects, why do we need to vaccinate them, why do we need to implement safety measures in schools for them,” said Ladha.
“If we don’t control transmission among children the virus will continue to circulate, it will continue to mutate and it will continue to infect the whole community, not just the children.”
Ladha is calling for more measures in schools to decrease transmission, including mandatory quarantining for close contacts of positive cases, more rapid testing and mask mandates in Kindergarten to Grade 3 children.
“There’s a number of gaps where transmission can occur and is occurring and we see that by the number of outbreaks that have been declared and the number of students that have been infected and, frankly, by the number of patients I am seeing in clinic right now that have COVID,” said Ladha.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.