New research on coronavirus has revealed that the virus is very difficult to diagnose in children and is often unnoticed.
A new study of 91 children with the coronavirus in South Korea found that 20 of them showed no signs of the virus at all, 18 had no symptoms at first but later showed signs of illness. It all started with the symptoms.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that only coronary tests were performed on children who showed symptoms, while several affected children did not.
The researchers said in a separate article in JAMA Pediatrics with the results of the research that the infected children would not have noticed even with or without symptoms and would have continued their normal activities and possibly spread the virus within their community.
In areas where masks are not widely used, asymptomatic patients can quietly spread the disease within a community, the researchers said.
According to research, infected children without signs or symptoms remove the virus from the body for 17 days and can spread it to others during that time.
Research has shown that people without symptoms can spread the virus for up to 14 days, while more than 50 percent of children are still transmitting the virus after 21 days.
Megan Delaney, head of laboratory medicine at Children's National Medical Center in the United States, said experts in South Korean research had found that children may be healthy at home, but some of them could be infected.
