COVID-19: New study confirms children less likely to get disease or pass it on to others
David Carrigg
9 hrs ago
© DON CRAIG
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister
Adrian Dix will give the latest figures on newly confirmed cases,
deaths, recoveries and more.
The
provincial health officer says worldwide studies continue to show
that children are at low risk to contract COVID-19 or to spread it.
Dr.
Bonnie Henry said a report released by the Mount
Sinai School of Medicine
over the weekend found that children had fewer ACE2 receptors on
cells in the nose, throat, lungs and gut.
The
coronavirus enters the body by attaching to these ACE2 receptors.
“Children
seemed to have fewer of those,” Henry said on Monday. “That may
have something to do with why it seems less likely that children
get infected.
“The
evidence really does continue to show that children are less likely
to transmit (coronavirus) between each other and to adults and they
are less likely to be infected and to have severe illness.”
Henry
said that 27 of B.C.’s 2,530 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were in
children under 10, and none of theme had been hospitalized.
She
said there were 52 cases among those ages 10-19 and three of those
had ended up in hospital but none in intensive care.
There
were 12 new cases of COVID-19 reported in B.C. between noon
Saturday and noon Monday and four deaths.
Those
deaths were among residents of the Langley Lodge long-term care
home, bringing the toll there 20. Most of the 161 COVID-19 deaths
in B.C. have been among the elderly with other health conditions.
Henry
said there were 267 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., with 37 in
hospital including seven in intensive care. The number of active
cases and hospitalizations continues to drop.
“Our
efforts are working and we are making progress,” she said.
There
are 14 outbreaks in long-term care and assisted living homes and
two in acute care wards in hospitals.
There
have been no new community or long-term care outbreaks over the
past two days.
The
most recent community outbreak was reported last Thursday at the
Nature’s Touch frozen food processing plant in Abbotsford.
Phase
2 of B.C.’s reopening plan is underway, however Henry’s order
restricting mass gatherings to no more than 50 individuals remains
in place.
The
government will wait for two more incubation periods (four weeks)
before deciding when to lift restrictions that would allow hotels
and resorts to open.
Health
Minister Adrian Dix said visits to emergency rooms in B.C. are
continuing to climb, after dropping off when COVID-19 emerged.
Ontario
reported more than 400 new COVID-19 cases Monday for a fifth
straight day, after posting daily growth numbers in the 200s and
300s earlier in the month. It has now seen growth rates of between
1.5 and 1.9 per cent for 16 of the past 17 days.
Quebec
reported 85 additional deaths linked to COVID-19 Monday, bringing
the total number to 4,069 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Meanwhile,
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he’ll push the
provinces to give workers 10 days of paid sick leave a year — a
measure the federal NDP has been urging to ensure no one has to
choose between coming to work sick and losing income.
With
files from Canadian Press
CLICK
HERE
to report a typo.
Is
there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this
or any other stories you think we should know about. Email
vantips@postmedia.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment