Toddlers spread Covid at home

TODDLERS are more likely to spread Covid to their family than teenagers, according to new Canadian research.

Researchers from Public Health Ontario analysed health records from more than 8,000 households in which children had the virus and found that those under three were up to 43 per cent more likely to pass Covid on to their family members, compared with 14- to 17-year-olds.

That could be because teenagers are more likely to spend time in their rooms, away from their family.

But the study, which spanned a prevaccination period between June and December 2020, found that teenagers were more likely than younger siblings to bring the infection into the household.

Overall, 27 per cent of households with child coronavirus cases saw transmission within the household.