Ten children have died of COVID-19 in South Africa, with two deaths in the past week alone. Statistics from the Department of Health also revealed that children make up approximately 6% of COVID-19 infections in the country.
The Department sought to dispel the myth that children are infecting elderly relatives, saying it is more likely that children are getting infected by adults.
“That was really one of the main reasons why schools were closed because of this fear that children would catch the infection at school not necessarily be very sick themselves but would go home and transmit to older adults. As time has gone on, we have understood that COVID-19 is in fact very different and that children do not seem to play a major role in transmitting the infection to other children and to adults,” says Acting Director of Children, Youth and School Health, Doctor Lesley Bamford.
South Africa currently has a total of 2 749 deaths and the number of cases stands at 159 333.
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