School, daycare closure had little effect on COVID-19 among kids

The closure of schools and daycare centres had little effect on the number of coronavirus infections detected in children and adolescents, said the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in a press release.

Coronavirus infections requiring intensive care treatment is rare in children and adolescents.

The data is obtained from a study that compared coronavirus infections in 1-19-year olds and the resulting periods of intensive-care treatment and deaths in Finland with that in Sweden.

In Finland schools and daycare centres had been closed from mid-March to mid-May, while in Sweden primary schools and kindergartens remained open throughout the spring. By mid-June, the prevalence of coronavirus infections in children under 20 was 52 /100,000 in Finland and 49/100,000 in Sweden. However, increased testing in Sweden at the end of May showed more infections detected in children and adolescents.

“Serious coronavirus infections are rare in children and adolescents in both Finland and Sweden. No corona-related deaths in children under 20 have been reported in either of the countries. According to the current knowledge, children also transmit the virus less than adults,” said YHL Chief Physician Hanna Nohynek.