Australian researchers say children’s noses have a more pro-inflammatory response to COVID-19. -AP
Children’s noses may be better at fighting COVID-19 than adults’.
Dr Kirsty Short from the University of Queensland’s school of molecular chemistry and biosciences says it may be one reason why immune responses among children have proven more effective against the virus.
“Children have a lower rate of infection with COVID-19 and milder symptoms than adults, but the reasons for this are unknown,” he says.
“We have shown that the lining of children’s noses has a more pro-inflammatory response to ancestral SARS-CoV-2 than the noses of adults.”
Dr. Short and his colleagues exposed samples of nasal lining cells from 23 healthy children and 15 healthy adults to the virus.
The results showed that it replicated less efficiently in the children’s nasal cells and there was an increased antiviral response.
“It could be an adaptation to increased threats from ‘foreign invaders’ such as viruses or bacteria seen in childhood,” he said.
“It is also possible that increased exposure to these threats in childhood ‘trains’ children’s nasal lining to generate a stronger pro-inflammatory response.
“Or alternatively, metabolic differences between children and adults could alter how virus-fighting genes are expressed.”
The researchers found that the Delta COVID-19 variant was less likely to replicate in the children’s nasal cells, but the trend was notably less pronounced in the case of Omicron.
Meanwhile, state and federal authorities are concerned about the number of Australians receiving their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
71.4% of those eligible, or more than 14.1 million people, have so far received a third dose.
But there are still more than 5.6 million to get their reinforcement.
Queensland is the worst performing state, with 64.5% of eligible residents receiving a third stroke, while the ACT has the best coverage (79.9%).
The reinforcement rate is 55% for Indigenous Australians nationally.
Australia reported almost 23,000 new cases of the virus and 32 deaths on Sunday, down from Saturday’s numbers, although Queensland does not report weekend fatality figures.
There are more than 4,400 people hospitalized with the virus and 161 patients requiring intensive care across the country.
LATEST DATA ON COVID-19 EVERY 24 HOURS:
Victory: 5114 cases, three deaths, 660 in the hospital and 40 in the ICU
NSW: 10,027 cases, 15 deaths, 2181 in hospital and 57 in ICU
Queensland: 2649, no deaths, 669 in hospital and 29 in ICU
Tasmania: 527 cases, four deaths, 83 in hospital and one in ICU
ACT: 415 cases, none dead, 140 in hospital and five in ICU
NT: 159 cases, none dead, 40 in hospital and three in ICU
SA: 1595 cases, none dead, 316 in hospital and 12 in ICU
WA: 2361 cases, 10 deaths, 342 in hospital and 14 in ICU.