A new study has found that children may play a larger role in community spread than previously thought, according to an article on the Becker’s Hospital Review website.

A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital found that infected children had significantly higher levels of virus in their airways than hospitalized adults in ICUs.

The study also found that children can carry a high viral load, meaning they are more contagious, regardless of their susceptibility to developing COVID-19 infection.

The findings from nose and throat swabs and blood samples carry implications for the reopening of schools, daycare centers and other locations.

Although children have been less affected by COVID than adults in general, the virus poses a particular threat to those in longterm care because those with complex medical conditions and compromised immune systems are at higher risk, according to an article on the Barron's website.

Read the full Becker’s Hospital Review article.