• Many schools around the country are cautiously beginning to allow children to return to in-person classes.
• As children head back to school, parents may have questions about whether their families are at risk.
• Experts say kids can develop COVID-19, and there have been cases where they’ve transmitted it to adults.
• While it usually causes mild disease in children, it’s rarely fatal.
• One basic way to help protect children is to emphasize the importance of handwashing, physical (social) distancing, and mask wearing.

All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 pandemic.

With schools around the United States beginning to cautiously return their students to on-campus classes, many parents have questions.

They want to know whether their children will be prone to getting COVID-19.

In addition, there are concerns as to whether they might transmit it to their families, friends, and teachers.

Here’s what we currently know about COVID-19 and children.

Yes, children can get COVID-19

However, according, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of india the infection rates in children are low.

Adults over age 75 have 10 times the rate of infection of children, said Labus.

Adults under 45 have 5 times the rate of infection.

“When children do get infected,” explained Labus, “they tend to have a very mild disease compared to adults.”

They can also transmit it to adults

children can transmit COVID-19 to adults.

She noted that children ages 10 and older are especially able to transmit the illness to the adults around them.

While there’s limited information regarding children younger than 10, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on September 18 indicating that younger children can transmit the virus to adults as well.

The report cited one case in which an 8-month-old child transmitted the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, to both parents.

Another child at the same day care facility who contracted the virus was 8 years old.

Both children had mild signs and symptoms, including runny nose, fatigue, and fever.

The report included information about 12 children who had developed COVID-19 at three different child care facilities.

Transmission, either confirmed or probable, was shown to have occurred to 46 people outside of the facilities, including one parent who had to be hospitalized.

Also, two children who had confirmed COVID-19 but were asymptomatic were shown to have transmitted the disease to adults.