COVID-19 carriers
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Parents and teachers alike are worrying over school reopening plans in fall. Many parents have resorted to providing solutions in giving their children the education they need.

Teachers are struggling to give lessons while making sure their health is not being compromised. School district officials are pleading to authorities to reconsider schools reopening.

But the ultimate question is: Would it be safe for kids to go back to school?

A Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine study found that younger children carry far more coronavirus in their respiratory tract than adults.

This is especially cited for children under five-years-old.

The study published in JAMA Pediatrics, included 145 COVID-19 patients with moderate illness within one week when their symptoms started.

The research covers three age groups, including young children under five, children between ages five and 17-years-old; and adults in the age range of 18 to 65-years-old.

With this comparison, the study found that children under five have 10 to 100 times more particles in the respiratory tract.

Pediatric experts Taylor Heald-Sargent, MD, said that kids have levels of a virus similar to and maybe even higher than adults.

"It wouldn't be surprising if they were able to shed [the virus]" and spread it to others," Heald-Sargent, who also led the research, was quoted in a report.

Other Studies on Children and COVID-19

A study from South Korea, which was published in the CDC's journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, looked at the possibility of children spreading COVID-19.

The research studied 5,700 people who had coronavirus symptoms between January 20 to March 17, when South Korea closed schools.

The study found that those between the ages of 10 and 19 are most likely to spread the virus in their homes.

"We detected COVID-19 in 11.8 percent of household contacts; rates were higher for contacts of children than adults," the researchers were quoted in a report.

Heald-Sargent said that it is difficult to assume that because kids are not getting or getting severe symptoms, they do not have the virus.

Should Schools Reopen?

U.S. President Donald Trump is still pushing for schools to reopen despite opposition from both teachers and parents.

Trump told Democrats and Republicans to work together on passing the latest coronavirus relief bills, which includes $195 billion to help schools reopen for in-person learning.

Trump repeated his statement that COVID-19 severe illness is to blame with age. He said that the lower they are in age, the lower the risk.

However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, warned that those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and obesity had increased their risk of dying from COVID-19.

Some children that were infected with COVID-19 were hospitalized and even died. A young Florida girl who died of COVID-19 is proof of this.

The nine-year-old girl is believed to be the youngest victim in Florida to die of COVID-19.

Also, teachers are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, according to a Time report.

This is because some of them are over 65 and have pre-existing conditions.

An elementary teacher in Arizona, Kimberley Chavez Lopez Byrd, died of COVID-19 after sharing a summer classroom with two other teachers, who contracted the disease, according to an NBC News report.

Lopez Byrd was 63 and suffered from asthma, lupus, and diabetes.

Meanwhile, Trump said that if some state or local officials decided not to reopen schools, the school funding should be reallocated to parents.

Check these out:

Texas Education Agency Issues School Reopening Guidelines

Arizona Teacher Dies of COVID-19, 2 Co-Teachers Infected

Schools Struggle to Reopen at Limited Capacity While Parents Protest Against It