Inside STAT: Key question for coronavirus response: What's kids' role in spreading it?

(MOLLY FERGUSON FOR STAT)

Kids are often the canary in a coal mine when it comes to infectious diseases like the flu. They are often the ones who are most susceptible to illness and pass on the infection to the family, teachers, and caregivers around them. But when it comes to Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, experts still don't know how kids fit into the equation. Knowing whether children are driving transmission of the disease would help public health officials plan potential next steps, including school closures and dissuading families from bringing children to visit relatives in long-term care. And even though cases of the new disease have been rare in children, it's unclear whether children are less susceptible to Covid-19 or whether it's because there are other hard-to-detect mild cases in this group. STAT's Helen Branswell and Megan Thielking have more here.