Your recent post on the bird site raises an extremely interesting question. From The Lancet article you posted "We believe that children simply had lower viral loads in the nasopharynx and therefore tested RT-PCR negative but were infected and seroconverted at 6-8 weeks."
Children here have been clearly victimized by the virus, but that's doesn't mean they are TRANSMITTING the virus. If children have low viral loads in the nasopharynx, can they TRANSMIT the virus OR are they simply VICTIMS of transmission by others in their households?
The viral load may not build up iin the nasal pharynx but more in the throat and mouth. This is true for most people now.
The viral load they were initially exposed to is a factor.
The more viral particles that enter the body, the higher the viral loads can get before immune response gets to work.
This study showed that viral loads in children were higher than in adults.
https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(22)00509-6/fulltext
2. This one shows similar viral loads. "mild COVID-19, children may be less likely to have seroconversion than adults despite similar viral loads. "
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/article-abstract/2789845
Earlier studies were showing young children had the highest viral loads. Children are just as contagious as adults, if not more contagious.
TACT...
Your recent post on the bird site raises an extremely interesting question. From The Lancet article you posted "We believe that children simply had lower viral loads in the nasopharynx and therefore tested RT-PCR negative but were infected and seroconverted at 6-8 weeks."
Children here have been clearly victimized by the virus, but that's doesn't mean they are TRANSMITTING the virus. If children have low viral loads in the nasopharynx, can they TRANSMIT the virus OR are they simply VICTIMS of transmission by others in their households?