The Times Australia
Mirvac Harbourside
The Times World News

.

Is it more infectious? Is it spreading in schools? This is what we know about the Delta variant and kids

  • Written by Margie Danchin, Paediatrician at the Royal Childrens Hospital and Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist, University of Melbourne and MCRI, Murdoch Children's Research Institute

The Delta variant is surging across the globe, and the World Health Organization warns[1] it will rapidly become the world’s dominant strain of COVID-19.

Delta is more infectious than the Alpha variant, and preliminary data[2] suggest children and adolescents are at greater risk of becoming infected with this variant, and transmitting it.

Is this true? And with Sydney school students[3] set to begin term 3 remotely, what’s the best way to manage school outbreaks?

Let’s take a look at the evidence.

Delta in children and young people

In the United Kingdom, where the Delta variant has been predominating since May[4], infections are rising fastest among 17-29-year-olds[5], who are mostly unvaccinated. Infections are also increasing in younger age groups, but at a lower rate.

Overall, increased transmission among children and young people may partly be due to Delta. But also, in countries like the UK, these age groups are most susceptible to infection because older groups have been largely vaccinated.

While we don’t yet have data on the severity of illness in children associated with the Delta variant specifically, we know with COVID generally, kids are much less likely[6] to become very unwell.

Research from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute found children clear the virus[7] more quickly than adults, which might go some way to explaining this.

Read more: Why is Delta such a worry? It's more infectious, probably causes more severe disease, and challenges our vaccines[8]

How is Delta affecting transmission in schools?

In 2020, face-to-face learning wasn’t a significant contributor to community transmission[9] in Victoria. Similarly, during the first wave in New South Wales, transmission rates were low[10] in education settings. Concerns children may bring infections home to vulnerable family members weren’t supported[11] by the evidence.

However, the situation is looking somewhat different now with the emergence of new variants and varying levels of vaccine coverage in different countries.

There does appear to be more transmission in schools. In the week ending June 27[12] there were outbreaks in 11 nursery schools, 78 primary schools, 112 secondary schools and 18 special needs schools in the UK.

While outbreaks in schools are increasing, the vast majority of transmission[13] still occurs in households.

Made with Flourish It does appear we’re seeing more transmission in schools with the Delta variant. Joel Carrett/AAP

In 2021 in Australia, there have been very few school infections with Delta. In Western Australia, where schools have remained open, an infectious case attended three schools[14] but this didn’t result in any school outbreaks.

During the current NSW outbreak, there have been several schools and early childhood centres with COVID-19 cases, and we have seen one outbreak[15] at a primary school.

Although schools in Australia have largely been spared, transmission rates have been higher than we’ve seen with other variants. Almost all household contacts of cases are becoming infected.

In the recent Melbourne primary school outbreak[16], our research[17] yet to be published showed that 100% of the household contacts of children who were infected at school went on to test positive.

Fortunately, testing, tracing and isolating were very effective in containing the outbreak, even with the Delta variant.

But these recent school outbreaks highlight why it’s so important adults of all ages, especially parents and teachers, get vaccinated.

Should we vaccinate children?

There are benefits of vaccinating children, particularly teenagers. These include direct protection against the disease, but also reducing transmission to vulnerable adults and enabling continued school attendance.

The risks and benefits need to be carefully calculated in a low transmission setting like Australia. In terms of risks, emerging data suggest the mRNA vaccines[18] Pfizer and Moderna are associated with a very small risk of myocarditis[19] (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the heart lining) in young adolescents and adults, particularly males[20]. Although most cases are mild, it can be a serious condition and is being closely monitored.

Read more: Let's hold off vaccinating children and teens against COVID-19. Prioritising adults is our best shot for now[21]

The United States, Canada, and a few countries in Europe are already vaccinating[22] children over 12. Australia’s drug regulator is currently weighing this up.

For now, we should continue to vaccinate adults in priority groups. We have a long way to go to get the most vulnerable vaccinated first, and are still constrained by vaccine supply.

As we grapple with the benefits and risks for teenagers, it’s also worth asking them[23] if they want to be vaccinated and why. Many have been adversely impacted by the pandemic and are desperate to move on with their lives.

What should parents look out for?

With the Delta variant, a headache, sore throat and runny nose are now the most commonly reported symptoms[24] among unvaccinated people.

These symptoms have eclipsed fever and cough, the most common symptoms[25] earlier in the pandemic.

So it’s imperative parents still take their children to be tested if they become unwell, even if the symptoms appear more like the common cold.

School children walk with parents down a street in Sydney. Australia hasn’t yet approved COVID vaccines for use in children or adolescents. Shutterstock[26]

Where to from here?

When adults are more widely vaccinated and our borders open, school outbreaks will likely continue to happen. Even in places like Israel, where a high proportion of the population has received two doses, school outbreaks[27] have recently occurred.

Australia needs a clear plan that outlines how best to keep schools open, while preventing transmission and keeping children and teachers safe during any outbreaks.

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians last week called for[28] a national plan[29] to this end.

This should include school staff being prioritised for vaccination.

And until we have high vaccination coverage, there’s evidence[30] that well implemented school-based mitigation measures work to prevent transmission in education settings.

This could include a range of measures, adjusted according to risk, such as keeping non-essential adults off school grounds, mask use in high school students (and possibly primary students too), staggering timetables, reducing class sizes and improving classroom ventilation.

Read more: The symptoms of the Delta variant appear to differ from traditional COVID symptoms. Here's what to look out for[31]

By monitoring the effects of new variants on children’s health, coupled with detailed risk-benefit analyses, we will determine the best time for children and adolescents to be vaccinated.

In the meantime, parents and all eligible adults can do their bit to protect children and reduce the risk of school outbreaks by getting vaccinated themselves.

References

  1. ^ warns (www.livemint.com)
  2. ^ preliminary data (www.medrxiv.org)
  3. ^ Sydney school students (www.abc.net.au)
  4. ^ predominating since May (www.ons.gov.uk)
  5. ^ 17-29-year-olds (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
  6. ^ less likely (theconversation.com)
  7. ^ children clear the virus (www.nature.com)
  8. ^ Why is Delta such a worry? It's more infectious, probably causes more severe disease, and challenges our vaccines (theconversation.com)
  9. ^ community transmission (www.mcri.edu.au)
  10. ^ were low (www.thelancet.com)
  11. ^ weren’t supported (bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com)
  12. ^ week ending June 27 (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
  13. ^ the vast majority of transmission (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
  14. ^ three schools (www.watoday.com.au)
  15. ^ one outbreak (www.health.nsw.gov.au)
  16. ^ Melbourne primary school outbreak (www.theage.com.au)
  17. ^ our research (www.mcri.edu.au)
  18. ^ the mRNA vaccines (jamanetwork.com)
  19. ^ myocarditis (jamanetwork.com)
  20. ^ particularly males (www.cdc.gov)
  21. ^ Let's hold off vaccinating children and teens against COVID-19. Prioritising adults is our best shot for now (theconversation.com)
  22. ^ already vaccinating (theconversation.com)
  23. ^ it’s also worth asking them (www.theguardian.com)
  24. ^ the most commonly reported symptoms (covid.joinzoe.com)
  25. ^ the most common symptoms (theconversation.com)
  26. ^ Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com)
  27. ^ school outbreaks (www.timesofisrael.com)
  28. ^ called for (www.racp.edu.au)
  29. ^ national plan (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
  30. ^ evidence (www.medrxiv.org)
  31. ^ The symptoms of the Delta variant appear to differ from traditional COVID symptoms. Here's what to look out for (theconversation.com)

Read more https://theconversation.com/is-it-more-infectious-is-it-spreading-in-schools-this-is-what-we-know-about-the-delta-variant-and-kids-163724

Mirvac Harbourside

Times Magazine

YepAI Joins Victoria's AI Trade Mission to Singapore for Big Data & AI World Asia 2025

YepAI, a Melbourne-based leader in enterprise artificial intelligence solutions, announced today...

Building a Strong Online Presence with Katoomba Web Design

Katoomba web design is more than just creating a website that looks good—it’s about building an onli...

September Sunset Polo

International Polo Tour To Bridge Historic Sport, Life-Changing Philanthropy, and Breath-Taking Beau...

5 Ways Microsoft Fabric Simplifies Your Data Analytics Workflow

In today's data-driven world, businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline their data anal...

7 Questions to Ask Before You Sign IT Support Companies in Sydney

Choosing an IT partner can feel like buying an insurance policy you hope you never need. The right c...

Choosing the Right Legal Aid Lawyer in Sutherland Shire: Key Considerations

Legal aid services play an essential role in ensuring access to justice for all. For people in t...

The Times Features

Increase your holdings and hold your increases from a wisely diverse investment portfolio.

What comes to your mind when I ask about which investments are most important to you? I imagine we w...

Canberra Just Got a Glow Up: Inside Kingpin’s Dazzling New Attractions

Canberra’s entertainment scene just levelled up. Kingpin entertainment, Australia’s home of immers...

The Capsule CEO: Ashley Raso’s Reinvention from Property Developer to Fashion Founder

From property developer to creative founder, Raso positions Capsule WD as the wardrobe system resh...

Yellow Canary partners with global payroll audit leader Celery to bring pre-payroll review technology to Australia

Payroll compliance is becoming tougher for Australian employers. Underpayment cases continue to do...

Noticing These 5 Issues? Contact an Emergency Plumber Now

The invisible arteries running through homes, plumbing systems, streamline daily life discreetly...

The Perfect Champagne Day Pairing: Luke Nguyen’s Chargrilled Lemongrass Beef Skewers

Celebrate Champagne Day on October 24th with this delicious recipe and elegant pairing from Luke Ngu...

Bribing kids to eat vegetables might backfire. Here’s what to do instead

It’s a tactic many parents know well: “eat two bites of broccoli, and then you can have desser...

Common Wall Mounting Challenges and How Professionals Solve Them

It is not always as easy as it seems to mount artwork, shelves, or TVs, since some difficulties are ...

Understanding Centrelink Investment Property Valuation: A Guide for Australian Property Owners

Introduction Owning an investment property in Australia can bring financial stability — but it al...