THL website on coronavirus in children and young people updated
THL has updated its website with the latest information on coronavirus infections in schools. The website contains information on exposures and infections in early childhood education, comprehensive schools and upper secondary education between August 2020 and June 2021.
At the same time, THL has updated its web page titled Children and coronavirus. The page now contains the latest information on the type of disease that a coronavirus infection can cause in children and young people, secondary diseases associated with coronavirus infections in children and young people, and prolonged coronavirus disease in children and young people.
Risk of further infections in schools and early childhood education and care settings is small
By the end of June in the academic year of 2020–2021, a total of 96,084 children, young people or staff members had been quarantined due to possible exposure to coronavirus at different grades. However, only 1.9 per cent of all exposed persons were diagnosed with an infection (a total of 1,815 cases).
Although the number of exposures increased as the epidemic accelerated, the relative share of further infections related to early childhood education and care and schools remained low. The risk of infection after exposure at school is significantly lower than the risk of infection on average (in other situations involving exposure to coronavirus approximately 10–15 per cent of the exposed are infected).
Coronavirus disease is usually mild in children – severe symptoms and secondary diseases are rare
The coronavirus disease is usually mild in children and young people. At present, 29,000 persons under 20 years of age have been diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection in Finland. Of them, 0.3 per cent were hospitalized. So far, no coronavirus-related deaths have been confirmed in Finland in persons under 20 years of age.
In rare cases, even a healthy young person may become seriously ill or be affected by a secondary disease due to coronavirus. An underlying disease and/or its treatment can weaken immune defences, thereby increasing the risk of a serious disease. The underlying disease itself can also become more severe during a coronavirus infection accompanied by high fever.
Few studies have so far been carried out on the prolonged symptoms in young people after a coronavirus infection, also known as Long Covid. It is possible that some children and young people experience prolonged symptoms, but the symptoms have always been found to clear during monitoring. It is likely that there are only very few cases of Long Covid in children and young people in Finland. This is indicated by a survey conducted in August among the chief paediatricians of 13 central hospitals in Finland. None of these hospitals had detected suspected or diagnosed cases of Long Covid in children under 16 years of age.
Additional information
Coronavirus infections in schools
(THL)
Children and coronavirus
(THL)
Emmi Sarvikivi
Chief Physician
THL
tel. +358 (0)29 524 7105
[email protected]
