Children and coronavirus

[Stripeyshirts2450]

I've read on BBC news how it doesn't seem to be affecting children as much, although there is very little research as it is still such a new illness (which means current research can't help us much). But does anyone know if this means:

A) babies are just NOT catching it at all

B) it's a mild cold for babies (which is bad enough and can escalate very quickly, so I would never let someone visit him with a cold. But still - hoping it's just a scary few weeks for baby!)

C) They do get the proper flu, they just happen to be surviving it more than old people say?

From what I have researched children do not seem as badly affected in terms of symptoms although they can be infected. I read as well that they are much more likley to be asymptomatic.

Overall we just do not know as this virus is still new however early signs suggest children are not as badly affected.

Thanks @HerstoryInTheMaking. My thought it there is not enough info to be blase about it. I'd rather have a few months safe than sorry.

I think the key question with children is whether they are capable of passing the infection on to others while they themselves get a mild dose or remain asymptomatic. I'm guessing this is what is driving the school closures in many parts of the world.

A eight month old baby has been confirmed with it in Australia, so babies can get it. Unsure of the severity that it effects them though.

Children can catch it, that's not in doubt but there's some evidence that children and younger adults can be asymptomatic or have such mild symptoms that they are not tested but can pass it on.

B or C. Children can and do get it.

The main issue though is that children are very effective little germ spreaders. They touch stuff, have less than ideal standards of hygiene, are less aware of what they are touching etc and we are very tactile with them so they pass it on.

There has been speculation that the stats on children are not accurate since they were isolated very quickly in china. They were already on school holidays when the outbreak arose and then they had very little social interaction after that point. Lessons were conducted remotely etc and parents were around to police them because of the lockdowns.

On the whole however, the information indicates that they typically get a "mild" version. We seem to have a UK public interpreting that as "i might have a runny nose" but its worth bearing in mind that in China many "mild" cases were hospitalised and it was more akin to "poorly but not likely to die".

This worries me to high heaven!

Me and both of my children (3 and 10 months) all had pneumonia last month and all admitted to hospital. They recovered quickly but I'm still getting over it.

I dread them being ill again or not being able to look after them again.

No young children have died, and children seem largely unaffected. Even a newborn baby , who tested positive (mother was already in hospital with CV when the baby was born) was fine.
I am not worried about my children, I am worried about myself, as an older mother, and friends and family.