Younger children more likely to spread COVID-19, study finds

Younger children may be more likely to spread COVID-19 than older children, according to a new study.

Young children may be more likely to transmit the virus that causes COVID-19 within households compared with older children, a new study has found. Specifically, children 3 or younger were more likely to spread the virus to household members compared with those aged 14 to 17. The study, published in JAMA, analyzed public health data from Ontario, Canada, to identify COVID clusters in which a child was the primary case within households. This study updates experts' understanding of COVID transmission risk, experts said. Earlier in the pandemic, some scientists suggested the risk of transmission declined with age. But this assumption was likely skewed by the fact that lockdowns and social distancing meant young children had very few social encounters.