In about 4 months, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has killed more than 285,000 people around the world. But, to everyone’s relief, extremely few of those people have been children. When COVID-19 first struck in China, it wasn’t even clear that children could catch the virus. By March, researchers figured out that children were just as likely to become infected, but they just weren’t getting as sick.
Still, it’s important to know who has the virus. Now, a study by researchers in Wuhan, China, finds that children with COVID-19 often do not have a cough, which is one of the most common symptoms that COVID-19 causes in adults. Instead, the first symptom many children have of COVID-19 is an upset stomach or diarrhea.
Sources:
- News release: Coronavirus infection in children — it may not start with a cough
- Research article: Clinical Characteristics of 5 COVID-19 Cases With Non-respiratory Symptoms as the First Manifestation in Children
- Our World in Data: Global statistics for COVID-19 infection and deaths
- News: March 4 study suggests children are as likely to be infected as adults
The image above shows an electron microscope picture of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Source: National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases
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