Why scientists think children may be less susceptible to severe coronavirus cases
While children certainly aren't immune to the dangers of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, studies show they are at substantially lower risk of developing severe symptoms than adults.
That's rare when it comes to infectious diseases. Nicholas Christakis, a physician and professor of social and natural science at Yale University, points out that such diseases are the leading killers of children under the age of 5 around the globe each year. Yet, COVID-19 does not appear to be a contributor to the trend.
Christakis says scientists aren't sure exactly, but there are some theories developing. One possibility is that kids have more "adaptive" immune systems because they're still developing. Immune systems for adults are based more on memory, making them more susceptible to an unfamiliar virus, like the new coronavirus behind the pandemic. Along those lines, because many adults have built up immunity to other coronaviruses, their bodies might be overreacting to the virus.
Another idea, via @MackayIM, is that past immunity to *other* coronaviruses might make COVID19 worse for adults by an immunological *over-reaction* to a novel coronavirus. A lot of COVID19 morbidity may be due, actually, to our bodies overreacting to the virus. 27/
— Nicholas A. Christakis (@NAChristakis) March 28, 2020
Another dose of good news, Christakis surmises, is that children probably won't become more susceptible to severe cases of COVID-19 if it becomes endemic as they age, even if they lose some of the theoretical immunological protections that are present only in youthful systems.
In the end, what will probably happen is that SARS-CoV-2 will become “endemic” (it will always circulate in our species and we’ll get used to it). Once kids are immunized by being exposed, they will not get as sick from it once they grow up to be the adults of tomorrow. 34/
— Nicholas A. Christakis (@NAChristakis) March 28, 2020
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