Children had less severe illness from COVID-19 than expected, and initial research on this phenomenon showed that children have heightened non-specific (“innate”) nasal immune responses compared to adults.
Research
Drivers of heightened innate immunity in children Innate Immunity and Viral Interference Common cold infections can block more pathogenic viruses through effects on innate immunityTradeoffs in barrier defense Epithelial cells show tradeoff between antioxidant and antiviral defense.Biomarkers for Virus Discovery and Diagnosis While standard diagnostic tests for viruses (e.g. PCR) are virus-specific, but the body's innate immune sensors can diagnose broad categories of infection with no prior knowledge of the pathogen.