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Questions about COVID-19 and kids

With the number of COVID-19 infections in Western Australia continuing to grow – including confirmed cases in children – The Kids Research Institute Australia understands that our community is growing increasingly worried.

Questions about vaccines

The Kids Research Institute Australia answers all of your questions about vaccines and children

COVID-19 Research

Thanks to 30 years of support from the WA community, The Kids Research Institute Australia is home to some of the world’s best researchers.

Impacts on Human Movement in Australian Cities Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

No studies have yet examined high-resolution shifts in the spatial patterns of human movement in Australia throughout 2020 and 2021, a period coincident with the repeated enactment and removal of varied governmental restrictions aimed at reducing community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. We compared overlapping timeseries of COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions, epidemiological data on cases and vaccination rates, and high-resolution human movement data to characterize population-level responses to the pandemic in Australian cities.

The role of children in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern within households: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis, as at 30 June 2022

Meta-analyses and single-site studies have established that children are less infectious than adults within a household when positive for ancestral SARS-CoV-2. In addition, children appear less susceptible to infection when exposed to ancestral SARS-CoV-2 within a household. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) has been associated with an increased number of paediatric infections worldwide.

‘Corona is coming’: COVID-19 vaccination perspectives and experiences amongst Culturally and Linguistically Diverse West Australians

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) groups within high-income countries are at risk of being left behind by the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. They face both access and attitudinal barriers, including low trust in government and health authorities.

The Emerging Omicron Variant, Children and School

Many publications have demonstrated the detrimental effects of school closures on children, families and communities in the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there is a surge of Omicron cases as children prepare to return to school around the world. While many children are asymptomatic or have mild disease, it is nevertheless an important problem.

Potential immunological effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy in transgender people – an unexplored area of research

There are well-described sex-based differences in how the immune system operates. In particular, cisgender (cis) females have a more easily activated immune system; associated with an increased prevalence of autoimmune diseases and adverse events following vaccinations. Conversely, cis males have a higher threshold for immune activation, and are more prone to certain infectious diseases, such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19).