Coronavirus COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we learn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education remains.

Covid-19 Key Messages

What are the symptoms?
The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• new continuous cough and/or
• fever (temperature of 37.8°C or higher)
• loss of or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

What is the mode of transmission?
COVID-19 is passed from person to person mainly by large respiratory particles (droplets and aerosol) and direct contact (close unprotected contact, usually less than one metre). These droplets can be directly inhaled by the person or can land on surfaces which another person may touch which can lead to infection if they then touch their nose, mouth or eyes.

What is the incubation period?
The incubation period (i.e. time between exposure to the virus and developing symptoms) is
between 1 and 14 days (median 5 days).

When is a person infectious?
A person is thought to be infectious from two days before symptoms appear, and up to ten days after they start displaying symptoms. The onset of infectious period is counted from the morning of the 2 days before the date of onset of symptoms and not 48 hours from the time of onset of symptoms. 

Are children at risk of infection?
Children of all ages can catch the infection, however there is strong evidence that children and young people are much less susceptible to severe clinical disease than older people.