Children have reduced severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection rates and a substantially lower risk for developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 compared with adults confirmed by study.
It has repeatedly been reported that younger individuals have a substantially lower risk for developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), despite a similar risk of infection, as reflected in dramatically increased mortality with increasing age1,2,3. These observations suggest that children may have a higher capability of controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection.
To understand the higher capacity of children for controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection at an early stage, we systematically characterized the transcriptional landscape of upper airways, an airway region with high susceptibility for SARS-CoV-2 infection7, in SARS-CoV-2-negative and SARS-CoV-2-positive children and adults.
The findings showed different cellular composition in the upper airways of children and adults.
