Although it was initially thought to be a disease affecting older people, over the last few months we’ve learned that kids can get COVID-19 too.
One Georgia summer camp became the center of a large coronavirus outbreak affecting one camp counselor and more than 250 campers.
via Complex:
A new research paper released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows just how quickly COVID-19 can spread among young people in conditions similar to this overnight camp, where campers and staff—mostly between the ages of six and 19—slept and ate in close quarters.
The camp, dubbed “Camp A,” sent campers and staffers home after one teen counselor fell ill on June 23 and tested positive for the virus. In the weeks that followed, the CDC was able to obtain tests from 344 out of 597 people at the camp and found that 260 or 76 percent were positive for the virus.
The CDC did not report any deaths, but 74 percent of those who tested positive for COVID-19 experienced some kind of symptoms. Despite having a lower rate of death, new studies are showing long lasting side effects caused by having coronavirus, even in young people.
“This investigation adds to the body of evidence demonstrating that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and, contrary to early reports, might play an important role in transmission,” the study reads.
The camp reportedly did not require campers to wear masks; only staff. This outbreak contributed to the south’s rising numbers of positive cases. As of this post, Georgia has over 170,000 positive cases and more than 3,600 deaths.
This is why reopening schools is a terrible idea. The kids might be able to catch COVI-19 and bounce back, but they’ll ultimately bring it back home to their parents who might not.
