According to a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), children spread COVID-19 faster than adults.
The study found that children spread coronavirus “more efficiently” than adults because they have a high ‘viral load’. Viral load refers to the amount of virus carried by a person.
The study focused on kids younger than five years who were infected and showed mild to moderate symptoms. Researchers discovered that these kids had 10 to 100 times more virus in their nose and throat than older children and adults.
Going by the study’s results, we need to protect our kids for two reasons; one, because the risk of infection is now high and two because children pose a risk to those around them.
This also means that it is important to vaccinate children as soon as possible. But, can they be given the same shot as an adult? The answer is yes, even children can be given the same shot, but the dosage needs to be adjusted.
Vaccine makers around the world are testing their vaccine shots on kids with companies like Pfizer and Moderna conducting dosing trials, trying to figure out how much vaccine dosage is safe for kids.
The dosage of these vaccines will be adjusted according to the age of a child that is children of different ages will be given a different dosage of the vaccine, according to their body’s tolerance.
