Study: Children produce weaker coronavirus antibodies

New research suggests that children clear COVID-19 infection much faster than adults and may help explain why many don’t become seriously ill (Source: “Children Produce Weaker Coronavirus Antibodies, Study Finds,” The New York Times, Nov. 5).

Children infected with the coronavirus produce weaker antibodies and fewer types of them than adults do, suggesting they clear their infection much faster, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Nature. A weaker immune response in children may paradoxically indicate that they are able to fight off the virus before it has had a chance to wreak havoc in the body, and may help explain why children are mostly spared severe symptoms of COVID-19.

At least one other study has suggested that children have a powerful inborn immune system, intended to combat the many new pathogens they encounter, and that this first line of defense may clear the infection early without needing to rely on later antibodies.