Can your child contract the coronavirus?

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The CDC has made it clear that washing your hands is the easiest way to protect yourself against COVID-19, but there are still so many things we don't know, like how the virus can affect our children.

Since COVID-19 is still a new disease, we have a lot to learn but we know that children can get it.

The number of children infected though is drastically lower compared to adult cases.

When researchers recently looked at nearly 45,000 confirmed cases in China, fewer than one percent of those were children 9-years-old and under. Children and teens ages 10 to 19 years of age make up another 1.2 percent of cases.

It's not clear yet if children are less likely to be infected than adults. The World Health Organization said it's not possible to determine if children are less susceptible or if their cases are more likely to go undetected because they have milder symptoms.

However, experts said children with certain medical conditions are at a higher risk.

Children with underlying health conditions could be at an increased risk of severe infection from COVID-19, just as they are more vulnerable to other respiratory illnesses.

Symptoms for children who have been diagnosed have generally been similar to a cold like mild fever, runny nose and a cough. These symptoms are far different from diagnosed adults who suffer from fever, cough, shortness of breath, and gastrointestinal complications.

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Map of COVID-19 cases across the US, updated as confirmed by CDC

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