Despite the significant public health implications, children’s and adults’ susceptibility to catching COVID-19, and the persistence of the antibody response to the virus once the infection has been overcome, remains a mystery. Extensive research is underway to better understand how the virus is transmitted and how long the antibodies remain effective.

Dr Carmen Muñoz-Almagro, full professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Dr Pedro Brotons, lecturer in the Department of Medicine, have carried out a study together with researchers from the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute to determine children’s susceptibility to the Sars-COV-2 coronavirus.  The study titled “Susceptibility to Sars-COV-2 Infection Among Children And Adults: A Seroprevalence Study of Family Households in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, Spain” has revealed that children are infected by coronavirus in the same way as adults, but that 99% of cases are asymptomatic. 

“Children appear to have a similar probability of being infected by COVID-19 in quarantined family homes as adults,” the researchers say, “and, moreover, are largely asymptomatic once infected”. 

To carry out the research, which was recently published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, a cross-sectional seroprevalence study was carried out. It involved volunteer families from the metropolitan area of Barcelona that had a first reported case of PCR-positive adults and a child under 15 years old living in the same household under lockdown. In addition, all family members were subjected to an at-home rapid test for COVID-19 antibodies, using blood obtained from a finger prick. 

The study has been named best scientific publication in the 2021 research awards organised by Hospital Sant Joan de Déu in Barcelona. The leading researchers have donated the prize money to the Kids Corona platform, which enabled the research to be carried out.