Transmission & Prevention
· Age <10 may have lower risks of transmission while age >60 may have higher risks of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in public areas. Three Public Health experts from Harvard University and University of St. Andrew’s wrote a review article on the effect of age on transmission of SARS-CoV-2 after reviewing current literature on detection of SARS-CoV-2 in contacts of COVID-19 cases, serological studies, and studies of infections in schools. They found that susceptibility to infection for children under 10 years old is significantly lower, while in adults older than 60 is higher. Also, serological studies suggest that younger adults (<35 years) often have high incidence of infection in the community, and there is also evidence that the virus may spread robustly in secondary/high schools and spread less in primary schools, with class size possibly affecting spread. This review is helpful in establishing guidelines to re-open schools during the pandemic, particularly secondary/high schools, and shows that efforts should be taken to diminish mixing in individuals aged 18–35 years.
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