Search for COVID-19 ‘magic’ starts as research shows kids faring well

The first Australian study to examine the rate of COVID-19 in children and adolescents has found children are at low risk of infection, and incurred no hospitalisations.

The research, led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, looked at the first month of Australian data.

It showed that many worried parents attend hospital when their child has a cough or fever, but of more than 400 children tested at an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital, only four tested positive to COVID-19.

None of those four required in-hospital treatment

Dr Laila Ibrahim from the MCRI told Ross and John the study should be reassuring for parents with children showing symptoms of asthma, croup and bronchitis.

But she warned overseas data had shown that children could still become severely unwell with COVID-19 and there is no room for complacency.

Nonetheless, doctors are now eager to determine why children seem more resistant to the disease.

“We’re still working on that one … we don’t know exactly why,” Dr Ibrahim told 3AW Breakfast.

“That would be key, to find out why, and hopefully we can use the result treat the adults the same way (with) whatever the magic is that children have.”

Click PLAY to hear the full interview