Children under the age of 12 play little role in transmitting the new coronavirus. This is the main conclusion of a study by the Netherlands’ National Institute for Health (RIVM), Reuters reports.
Previous studies have found that children are less often infected by the virus and, once infected, less often become seriously ill.

Transmission takes place primarily between adults

Yes, children can become infected, but transmission takes place primarily between adults of similar age, and from adults to children,” the study said in its conclusion.

Transmission between children, or from children to adults, as is known in influenza, appears to be less common, the study found. Results were published in the medical journal Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde

Possible weakness of the study

Participants were chosen from families identified by positive tests from March 23-April 16, a period when only seriously ill people with suspected COVID-19 cases and healthcare workers were being tested in the Netherlands. A possible weakness in the study is that the families studied may not have been representative of the wider Dutch population.