Republicans don't believe kids can transmit the coronavirus, but science increasingly says they're wrong
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- A new Pew study found roughly 36% of Republicans said K-12 schools should offer in-person classes five days a week. Just 6% of Democrats held the same belief.
- And while 41% of Democrats said schools should offer five days of remote instruction, just 13% of Republicans held the same belief.
- The same study found Republicans are less likely to weigh the risk of students and teachers getting or spreading the coronavirus as a factor in the school reopening decision.
- In fact, notable Republicans pushing for school reopenings have brushed this risk aside, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and President Donald Trump, saying students are at a lower risk of contracting and spreading the virus.
- Scientific studies increasingly point to kids being at just as much of a risk of infection and transmission as adults.
- One South Korean study published in mid-July found that people between the ages of 10 and 19 transmitted the virus at the same rates as adults. The researchers said the "pattern of transmission was similar to those of other respiratory viruses." Children are already known to transmit influenza viruses like swine flu or bird flu.
- A separate July 30 study from Chicago-based JAMA Pediatrics found the viral load in children is just as high as the viral load in adults — meaning children could be "important drivers" of the coronavirus spread. The coronavirus as it pertains to children is still being studied.
- The data is further confirmed by recent coronavirus outbreaks at summer camps and childcare facilities, coupled with rising infections in both kids and teens, just as the school year is set to ramp up.
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