Kids have the nose to fight Covid in a better way: Study

Melbourne, August 4

The lining of children’s noses is better at inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infections than those of the adults, which may explain why younger people had a lower infection rate and milder symptoms from earlier variants, according to a study.

Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia noted that the finding may be one of the reasons why children’s immune responses have so far proven more effective at avoiding and fighting Covid-19.

However, the trend was less pronounced in the case of the Omicron variant, they said.

“Children have a lower Covid-19 infection rate and milder symptoms than adults, but the reasons for this have been unknown,” said Kirsty Short from UQ.

“We have shown the lining of children’s noses has a more pro-inflammatory response to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 than adult noses,” said Short. However, the study published in the journal PLOS Biology found that it is different when it comes to the Omicron variant.