COVID-19 infections in households highest among 10-19 year-olds - study
Nearly 19% of all people who came in contact with 10-19 year olds got infected, more than any other age group included in the study.
By TOBIAS SIEGALChildren wearing masks to prevent contacting a new coronavirus are seen during the Ice Festival in Hwacheon, south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, February 8, 2020(photo credit: REUTERS/HEO RAN)
Household coronavirus infection rates are highest among patients aged 10-19 years old, according to a study by South Korean researchers published in the medical journal Emerging Infectious Diseases of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The study followed nearly 6,000 patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus between the months of January and March, when schools in South Korea were completely shut down, leading to a significant number of people becoming infected at home.These findings correspond with data published by the Health Ministry recently, that more than 60% of infections in Israel took place at home, and not in public spaces as some expected.Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, told The New York Times that the South Korean research is "one of the best studies done so far on this topic."The study found that young people in the age group of 10-19 were in most cases the first family members to present symptoms of coronavirus. But perhaps the more interesting finding is that when they presented symptoms, nearly 19% of all people who came in contact with them got infected, more than any other age group included in the study.Children aged nine or younger were the least likely age group to infect others within the household, infecting only 5.3% of all people who came in contact with them."Implementation of public health recommendations, including hand and respiratory hygiene, should be encouraged to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within affected households," the research concluded."The effects of household infections of coronavirus, in light of schools reopening and an ease in social distancing restrictions, emphasizes the need for epidemiological research that will help guide the public's health policy," the Korean researchers added. Considering the latest developments in Israel regarding the coronavirus pandemic, it seems unlikely that Israelis will be returning to their regular lives any time soon. With everyone staying at home for longer periods of time, this study plays a major role in shedding light on the best ways for the population to avoid unnecessary risks and to keep healthy.
