Children can shed the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, even if they are asymptomatic, or for long after their symptoms have cleared, according to a new study which sheds more light on the significance of the pediatric population in the pandemic's spread.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, followed 91 children at 22 hospitals throughout South Korea, infected with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and found that they carried the viral genetic material RNA for a longer period than expected. "Symptom screening fails to identify most COVID-19 cases in children, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA in children is detected for an unexpectedly long time," the researchers, including those from Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea, noted in the study.

Children can shed the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, even if they are asymptomatic, or for long after their symptoms have cleared, according to a new study which sheds more light on the significance of the pediatric population in the pandemic's spread.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, followed 91 children at 22 hospitals throughout South Korea, infected with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and found that they carried the viral genetic material RNA for a longer period than expected. "Symptom screening fails to identify most COVID-19 cases in children, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA in children is detected for an unexpectedly long time," the researchers, including those from Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea, noted in the study.