Coronavirus and babies: here’s what we know so far

Across the world, there have been about 88,104 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) – 29 of which have been in Australia. Still, of those reported cases, there’s a piece of information that may be reassuring for parents – children seem to be experiencing “mild symptoms”.

Professor Robert Booy from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance said, “Those children who did contract the virus overseas have only had mild symptoms such as fever and upper respiratory symptoms.”

What is coronavirus?

So what is coronavirus? The Australian Government Department of Health website says, “Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness caused by a new virus. Symptoms range from a mild cough to pneumonia. Some people recover easily, and others may get very sick very quickly.”

The research

Researchers have been doing their best to understand the coronavirus. Here’s what we know so far:

• A study published in JAMA last month looked at hospitalised babies diagnosed with COVID-19 infection between December 8, 2019, and February 6, 2020, in China. Nine infected babies were identified; none had any severe implications from the virus.
• A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine looked at the first 425 confirmed cases in Wuhan. Among the infected, none were below the age of 15.
• Research published in The Lancelot collected data from 507 patients who reported having COVID-19 between January 13 and January 31, 2020. The results found only 13 patients were under the age of 15.

Speaking to NPR, Cody Meissner, an infectious-disease expert and professor of paediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine said: “So far, it appears that more than 80% of the infections are pretty mild, no more severe than the common cold.

“And children appear to have even milder infections than adults.”

Few children infected – but why?

It’s not clear why children seem to be safe from severe COVID-19 symptoms, but there are some theories.

1. Children may be contracting the disease but experiencing minor symptoms

Chief medical officer Dr Brendan Murphy said, “We don’t know whether children might be getting the disease but [their symptoms] are so mild they are not being picked up, or they’re not becoming sick, or whether they are somehow less susceptible.”

2. Children may have immunity against COVID-19

Another theory is from New York Times health reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. Donald shared his opinion on a recent episode of the publication’s podcast The Daily. He said, “Kids have enormous numbers of these mild ‘coronaviruses’ because that’s the typical cold virus. Kids are the ones who get colds. You go to kindergarten, and you come back with a cold. So they may have some immunity from having somewhat similar but mild viruses circulating in the child population whereas all of us who had those viruses as kids, our immunities to those have waned.”

3. Mums may provide protection

Sallie Permar, a professor of paediatrics and immunology at Duke University School of Medicine, told NPR that mothers might also be providing some protection. “Infants are born with maternal antibodies,” she said. “So whatever their mother had been exposed to, they may have some protection [against] when they’re first born.”

Further research is required

The sample sizes for all of the available research have been small, so more research is needed.

As Donald G. McNeil Jr. said in The Daily podcast, there’s still a lot we don’t know about coronavirus, including how it’s transferred.

That said, he does explain that it’s thought there are two main ways coronavirus spreads: coughing and touching surfaces; for example, if someone coughs on a surface and then someone else touches it. If they then touch their nose or rub their eyes, they might get it.

How to stop the spread of coronavirus

So what can parents and children be doing to prevent the spread of the virus?

According to the Australian Government Department of Health: “Practising good hand hygiene and sneeze/cough hygiene is the best defence against most viruses:

• wash hands frequently with soap and water, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet
• cover coughs and sneezes, dispose of tissues and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• and if unwell, avoid contact with others (touching, kissing, hugging, and another intimate contact).”