According to the Mayo Clinic in the U.S., children of all ages can catch the virus that causes COVID-19, but they do not become physically sick as often as adults. They are also less susceptible to experiencing severe side effects from the virus in comparison to older adults. However, some children do develop complications from COVID-19, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), which is characterized by inflammation in different body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. While MIS-C is rare, it can be deadly and remains poorly understood based on current research.

Some evidence suggests that children may be less likely to contract the novel coronavirus, but it is still unclear whether this effect is due to limited interactions between children and hence fewer opportunities for transmission, or whether they are truly less susceptible to contracting the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) does not see a clear trend in the data yet, but large scale serological studies (studies that look at antibody presence in the blood) are currently underway and are likely to provide more clarity. Previous studies from Wuhan, China indicated that the virus was milder in children and transmission was fairly limited: a study of more than 72,000 cases by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that children under the age of 10 represented less than 1% of all cases. However, studies are ongoing to assess the level of susceptibility among children, and the evidence is still evolving.

As many countries struggle to determine if or when it may be safe to reopen schools, childcare centers, and playgrounds, researchers and scientists are still evaluating how likely children are to become ill from COVID-19 and how likely they are to spread the virus amongst one another, to other family members, or more broadly in the community. While current scientific evidence suggests that children are less likely to become as sick as adults, children are still able to become ill, may require hospitalization, and may die as a result of COVID-19. It is not clear why children are less likely than adults to become ill, but experts generally believe that differences are related to immunity - the body's natural defense mechanism whose function is to help fight infections.

If children do become infected with COVID-19, they may still spread the virus to parents or other adults at home, teachers at school, or other adults that they come into contact with in the community (i.e. churches, stores, social events). Children infected with the virus tend to have mild, cold-like symptoms (if they have symptoms at all), which caregivers may not recognize as COVID-19. In addition, they may not wash their hands enough or correctly, may not practice social distancing, may touch their faces often, and may not wear masks correctly (if they are over two years old and are able to wear masks). 

While scientific evidence does suggest that children with COVID-19 are less likely to become seriously ill than adults, experts argue that children alone cannot be considered when determining if or when it may be safe to open schools, childcare centers, and playgrounds. Ensuring safety for children, families, caregivers, teachers, and the community is important as scientists, doctors, and policy-makers consider further plans to respond to and plan for the next phases of the pandemic.