“This Is Your Wake-Up Call”: Public Health Director Warns After 1-Year-Old Child Dies Of Coronavirus
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An infant from Illinois recently tested positive for Coronavirus and died just days ago. Although the infant’s age was not clear, the child was under the age of one. The infant was among the 5,000 positive cases of Coronavirus in the state.
Child, aged one dies of Coronavirus should be a warning to all
“If you haven’t been paying attention, maybe this is your wake-up call,” says Public Health Director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike after an infant under the age of one has died after testing positive for Coronavirus.
Governor of the Illinois, Jay Pritzker, spoke on the news in a press conference: “Upon hearing it, I admit I was shaken. We should grieve with our family of state employees, with the many people we’ve already lost to this virus, young and old.”
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Although the risk of the virus continues to be of more concern to the elderly and those with health problems, such cases suggest that children of all ages are also at risk.
The youngest child to test positive for the virus globally, was a baby, just 30 hours after it’s birth in China. We can expect similar cases in the US once the country reaches its peak, which the president predicts is in a matter of weeks.
Scientists look into why children are less affected by the Coronavirus
Many scientists around the world will now commence in-depth studies into why children are less affected by the Coronavirus. Whilst no clear answer can be given, several scientists have already started theorizing why.
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First, it’s important to understand what an ACE2 receptor is. Both Sars and COVID-19 have used the same ‘keyhole’ to enter cells in the body and this is known as the ACE2 receptor. A professor in Liverpool Univerisity named Calum Semple has used his knowledge of ACE2 receptors to conclude a possible reason why it affects children less. “ACE2 is highly regulated in lung development. Because of this regulation, the ‘lock’ might be expressed differently in kids’ lungs,” says Semple.