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Coronavirus pandemic

Data that children are COVID-19 carriers highly exaggerated, says expert

The expert emphasized that children have a more active and developed immunity compared to adults

© Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. Information that children are symptomless carriers of the coronavirus infection has been greatly exaggerated by publications based on a small scope of cases studied. This opinion was voiced on Monday by Fyodor Lisitsyn, leading researcher of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology.

"I think that <...> [the information] that children are carriers and symptomless spreaders of the coronavirus infection has been greatly exaggerated by publications on a small percentage, on a small scope, on some ideal cases," he said in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel.

According to the expert, the risk of children getting infected with the coronavirus is not high. "The percentage [of incidence] in children under 16 in general is very low. For children below 9, [the percentage] of serious cases <...> is low and is frequently related to some serious pathologies, disabilities, previous illnesses," he noted.

The expert emphasized that children have a more active and developed immunity compared to adults. "From all appearances, the coronavirus may prefer as a carrier more adult bodies with different levels of immunity, growth and development dynamics," he added.

According to the latest statistics, about 40 mln people have been infected worldwide and more than 1.11 mln deaths have been reported. To date, 1,415,316 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 1,075,904 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 24,366 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

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