TraCK Transmission of COVID19 in Kids

COVID-19可以在不引起症状的情况下感染儿童，这意味着COVID-19在儿童中的传播几乎不可能研究。其他咽喉感染，如猩红热，在儿童之间迅速传播，并从儿童传播给其他家庭成员。相比之下，人们认为儿童不是COVID-19的主要传播者。尽管如此，有证据表明，在一些社区，儿童感染COVID-19的可能性与成年人一样。如果COVID-19可以在儿童中以类似于猩红热的水平传播，我们可能会错过预防COVID-19更广泛社区传播的重要环节。我们的研究将调查该病毒如何快速有效地通过学童传播，并将包括教师和家庭接触者。我们将调查儿童携带“传染性”病毒的时间，以及病毒是否存在于唾液或周围空气中。相反，如果我们发现儿童根本不容易传播病毒，我们的研究将能够为教师、家长和公众提供高度的保证。研究结果应提供建模和公共卫生指导所急需的信息。

COVID-19 can infect children without causing symptoms, meaning that spread of COVID-19 among children has been almost impossible to study. Other infections in the throat like scarlet fever spread rapidly between children, and spread from children to other household members. In contrast, it is thought that children are not major spreaders of COVID-19. Nonetheless, there is evidence that children are just as likely to have been infected with COVID-19 as adults in some communities.If COVID-19 can be spread by children at a level similar to scarlet fever, we may be missing a vital link in preventing wider community spread of COVID-19. Our study will investigate how quickly and efficiently the virus might be spread by schoolchildren, and will include teachers and household contacts. We will investigate how long children can carry 'infectious' virus, and if the virus is present in saliva or the surrounding air. Conversely, if we find that children do not readily transmit the virus at all, our study will be able to provide a high level of reassurance to teachers, parents, and the public. The findings should provide much needed information for modelling and public health guidance.