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Young children & COVID spread - M T - 09-14-2020

This CDC report out of Utah is making the rounds, but hasn't made it here yet.  
"Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 Outbreaks Associated with Child Care Facilities — Salt Lake City, Utah, April–July 2020"

Quote:Twelve children acquired COVID-19 in child care facilities. Transmission was documented from these children to at least 12 (26%) of 46 nonfacility contacts (confirmed or probable cases). One parent was hospitalized. Transmission was observed from two of three children with confirmed, asymptomatic COVID-19.


RE: Young children & COVID spread - akiddoc - 09-14-2020

I've mentioned here that I changed jobs about a month ago. I'm now working in inner city Oakland. The area is mostly Hispanic, very recent immigrants. Many indigenous people from Latin America, many of whom speak Mam, the Mayan language. The parents work predominantly in housekeeping, the food industry and construction. Many of these families are sharing houses and apartments. Since I started there, I've personally had to follow up on 30 children with positive Covid tests. It's really rampant in that zip code. I don't know if the county has the resources to track these cases. I do know in speaking to these families that most of the parents are also infected. It's hard to tell whether transmission is primarily from parents to children or the other way around. Kids in these apartment complexes are playing with kids from many other families. The parents are working in close quarters with many other people. My impression is that infection travels both ways pretty easily. These are also families with somewhat limited understanding of infectious disease transmission. Most have had limited exposure to western medicine. 

Even though we are seeing a lot of cases, absolutely none of these kids have been very sick, in keeping with the general trend of this illness.

RE: Young children & COVID spread - M T - 09-14-2020

Again, thank you (and so many more like you) for battling this epidemic.

I've found it hard to understand how Santa Clara County shows only about 36% of cases having exposure to known cases.  It seemed to me that household spread should push that number closer to, and above, 50%.   Perhaps what is going on is that the first case in the family gets tested.  After that, many are just suffering the disease without going through the formality of testing.  After all, I don't think that there is much treatment given to that first case, so what good does it do for siblings to get tested?

I can also imagine this effect reducing the count of reinfections as well. 

If 5 years ago, I thought I had a cold or the flu, I probably would not have gone to the doctor to get a flu diagnosis.  I felt I knew what to expect and would deal with it.  (Now, things are different.  If I got any illness like that, I'd go get at least a COVID test.)