The kids’ adaptive immune system, which ‘learns’ and deals with pathogens, had a weaker response during acute infection. Young children also had a distinctive response in the memory cells that ‘remember’ the virus after recovery. Older children had a response more similar to adults with mild COVID-19.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2024/09/19/young-children-have-a-different-immune-response-to-covid-expert-reaction/