Lordy, at the AFR:
The federal government’s decision to keep schools open, is partly to try and develop “herd immunity”. This has risks but also has large potential benefits.
On Sunday, as the nationally tally of confirmed cases of coronavirus reached 298, Australia’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Paul Kelly, said as there was no herd immunity to the new coronavirus in Australia, everyone was susceptible.
…At the same press conference, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said a positive aspect of this virus is that there have been very few reports of symptomatic infection in children.
“What we don’t know is whether children are getting infected but just don’t get symptoms. They can still spread it or they’re not getting infected. The former is probably more likely,” he said.
Others sat that when infected with the virus, children tend to get less severe symptoms probably because their “innate” immune system is active, meaning they are better able to control infections they have not encountered before.
This innate immunity fades with age leaving older people more susceptible to developing severe symptoms.
Keeping schools open means children may infect each other. The theory is that these infections will be very mild and that once infected, the children will be immune.
Italy.
