Seniors potentially at risk of COVID-19 exposure by kids going back to school

As students and their families prepare to go back to school in the middle of a pandemic, one question many have is, if kids go back to school, will their grandparents and great-grandparents be put at risk?

A study by the health policy group Kaiser Family Foundation found that 3.3 million seniors live with school-aged children across the country.

Children are at most five percent of the total number of COVID-19 cases, but it's still not clear how likely children are to be carriers.

The report warns that reopening schools might be more dangerous for families of color, who are more likely to have multi-generational households.

"Evidence so far indicates that children are at a lower risk of infection, present with milder symptoms, and are much less likely to die from the infection compared to older adults, but they still could present a risk to others in their household, especially in households with people at higher risk, such as older adults and others with pre-existing conditions," the study reads.

Texas has among the highest numbers of elderly relatives living with school-aged kids.

Doctors tell ABC News families have to balance risk and make decisions based on what's best for their households.

For more on the results of the study, visit the Kaiser Family Foundation website.