[cellar_door]

> Yes they have less effects than adults but some children do go to the hospital and ICU

You see this kind of vague claim online all the time when it comes to COVID but with no actual data.

What are the actual risks of a child going to the hospital as a result of COVID infection? How does that compare to other risks that you regularly expose your kids to?

[lambdaba]

The risk in children is from diabetes and metabolic syndrome, conversely what protects children most is a relatively well functioning immune system.

As we've seen that coronavirus immunity is enhanced with exposure to other coronaviruses, and innate immune system function, it appears children should not be isolated. By this rationale, they shouldn't even be wearing masks.

[zaroth]

About 1% of detected cases in children require hospitalization. That number of course does not account for undiagnosed, subclinical, and fully asymptomatic cases in children.

Compared to the flu, just looking at the proportion of children who are diagnosed positive cases, children would be about equally as likely to require hospitalization, but this likely overstates the hospitalization risk of COVID.

In terms of death rates, flu is significantly more deadly (at least 10x more deadly) in children 0-14, and about equally as deadly for ages 15-24. [1]

[1] - https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/07/14/coronavirus-covid-death...