Coronavirus also affects children, although less than other population groups, in view of the published figures.
According to international reports, coronavirus cases diagnosed in children have been very mild. The situation is similar in Finland, where so far no children have needed hospital care due to severe symptoms, according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
A day after the government ordered schools to reopen on 14 May, THL has released the first data that gives an idea of the extent of the epidemic among Finnish children.
At the time of publishing this article, a total of 4,906 confirmed coronavirus infections have been diagnosed throughout the country. And slightly over 200 of the cases were diagnosed in people under the age of 16, according to the national health agency.
This is over 4% of the total number of cases.
Looking at coronavirus infections diagnosed in children, 75% of the cases have been found in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa.
Infections diagnosed in children under 16 years of age are distributed by age group as follows:
- 0–3 years old: 25% of infections.
- 4–7 years old: 17% of infections.
- 8–11 years old: 26% of infections.
- 12–15 years old: 32% of infections.
THL says children's infections are known to often be completely asymptomatic as well.
Virus not equally active
“Although coronavirus can be transmitted by an asymptomatic virus carrier, people with symptoms are clearly more infectious than those with no symptoms or mild symptoms. That is why the virus is not circulating among children equally actively”, says Otto Helve, Paediatrician specialising in infectious disease at THL.
For example in China, around 1% of infections have been diagnosed in people under 20 years of age, and in the United States, 1.7% of cases have been found in people under 18 years of age. In most cases, children who have been admitted to hospital have been under one year old.
