As government strategises on the most effective way of getting South African children back to school, Dr. Boshoff Steenekamp, epidemiologist at leading financial services and health provider, Momentum, outlined the true risks for our children based on global statistics, and the biology of COVID-19 as it affects children in South Africa.

He was speaking at a Momentum COVID-19 webinar on 19 May, one in a series of webinars aiming to assist South Africans in dealing with the pandemic. According to Dr. Steenekamp, children are significantly less affected than adults, accounting for only 1% of the global infection rate, with deaths being extremely rare. These are reassuring stats considering the government’s decision to reopen some grades on 1 June.“Fortunately, we know that children are less likely to get COVID-19, and if they do, they get a very mild form.  It  is also very unlikely that children will spread the disease to others” said Dr. Steenekamp

He showed that multiple European family clusters were unlikely to be the index case (the first identified case in a group of related cases).

In fact, his data cited a family in France where an infected child did not transmit the disease to anyone, despite being exposed to over 100 people. Steenekamp concluded that infection and transmission rates in children happen less often and are less severe, but he cautions parents from letting these statistics embolden them with a false sense of security. Safety measures such as wearing masks, constant sanitisation and adhering to social distancing still need to be strictly exercised.

He also warned that these statistics do not apply to children with underlying diseases, which renders them more vulnerable to the disease. Please see Wetransfer link to the full video and Q&A clips here.