Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

The number of COVID-19 infections in children, and the rate at which they spread the virus, may have been clouded by school closures and other coronavirus restrictions at the start of the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance issued Friday.

"Due to community mitigation measures and school closures, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to and among children may have been reduced in the United States during the pandemic in the spring and early summer of 2020," the guidance for pediatric healthcare providers. "This may explain the low incidence in children compared with adults. Comparing trends in pediatric infections before and after the return to in-person school and other activities may provide additional understanding about infections in children."

The agency said that while cases among children are steadily rising, hospitalization rates seem to be lower than in adults.

Dozens of schools across the nation have reported outbreaks of coronavirus among both students and staff as classes resumed in recent weeks.

(MORE: What It's Like to Be in a Vaccine Trial)

Nationwide, more than 5.3 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 168,761 have died from the disease, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. In all, more than 21 million people around the globe have been confirmed to have the disease and more than 767,000 have died.

Latest Developments

United States:

-COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York dropped Saturday to their lowest level since March 17, according to a news release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Just over 500 people were hospitalized in the state for the disease, a vast decline from the peak of the breakout in New York, where more than 74,000 people in total have had hospital stays due to COVID-19, the news release said. Of those hospitalized on Saturday, 120 were in intensive care units and 58 were intubated. The state reported five additional deaths. More than 32,000 people have died of COVID-19 in New York, according to Johns Hopkins. That's the highest number of any state so far, although New York doesn't have the highest number of cases. California, Florida and Texas, in that order, rank higher.

-The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted an emergency use authorization for a new type of saliva-based COVID-19 test developed by the Yale School of Public Health. The new test is easier, less expensive and less invasive than others, according to a statement from Yale. Called SalivaDirect, it's currently being used to test some NBA players.

-Officials in several states in the Northeast are investigating a breakout of coronavirus that could be connected to a youth hockey skills clinic in New Hampshire and a tournament in Connecticut, the Associated Press reported. The New York State Amateur Hockey Association reported last week that some of its players tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the events, and some had become "very sick" and passed the disease to family members.

-A mayor in Mississippi asked residents to do their part to help keep the city clean in the absence of city workers diagnosed with COVID-19. Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy told Mississippi Today that 39 of 138 city employees have been affected by the disease. Espy said residents could help by picking up litter and keeping the community tidy. “My request is I need your help and here’s how … Can you please get out and help cleanup in your neighborhood?” he said during a Facebook live session.

-Major League Baseball postponed games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds after a player for Cincinnati tested positive, ESPN reported.

Worldwide:

-Mexico declared a 30-day period of national mourning in memory of the country's coronavirus victims. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced the move in statement released by his office Friday, according to CNN. Nearly 56,000 people have died of the disease in Mexico.

-The United Kingdom announced more than 1,000 confirmed new cases on Friday, the fourth day in a row the number jumped that high, according to the Johns Hopkins numbers. The UK has logged more than 318,000 cases overall and at least 46,791 deaths.

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

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