Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci wears a face mask while he waits to testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the Trump Administration’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S. June 23, 2020.
Kevin Dietsch | Reuters
White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci warned parents sending kids back to school that children over 9 years old can spread the coronavirus as well as adults, saying that should be considered when deciding whether to reopen schools in the fall.
“It’s been shown that children from 10 to 19 can transmit the virus to adults as well as adults can,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during an interview Wednesday on MSNBC.
A recently published study in South Korea indicated that although kids under the age of 9 were less likely than adults to transmit the virus to their families, teenagers were at least as likely to transmit the disease as adults.
Members of the Infectious Disease Society of America, a leading group of infectious disease experts, have previously pointed to the study and warned against reopening schools in states where coronavirus cases are surging.
“The issue that we’re facing is that we’re in a big country, and it has significant differences where you are as to the level of virus,” Fauci told MSNBC.
This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.