This is part 3 of our coronavirus FAQ. Click here to read the other installments: #Coronavirus the facts. Find the latest information and answers from experts on everything COVID-19.
Q: Are children less susceptible to the new coronavirus?
Children can catch the virus, but evidence from China suggests they may be less likely to develop severe symptoms.
Experts with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 44,672 cases in China and found that no child under ten years old had died of the infection. There was only one report of a teenager dying.
A group of researchers from the Wuhan University and other institutions reported that nine infants, aged between one month and 11 months old, had tested positive for the coronavirus in mainland China by February 6. They say none became seriously ill.
Visiting professor Tsuneo Morishima of Aichi Medical University is an expert in pediatric infectious diseases. He says the new virus is similar to existing strains of coronavirus in some ways and children, who often catch common colds, may have a level of immunity to it.
But the professor warned that infections tend to spread quickly at schools and nursery schools. He said parents and guardians should make sure children wash their hands thoroughly and keep rooms well ventilated.
The data presented here are correct as of March 24, 2020.
Q: Is there an effective treatment for the new coronavirus?
There are no drugs that have been proven clearly effective against the virus.
As in other countries and regions, doctors in Japan are focusing on treating the symptoms, such as putting patients on oxygen support and administering IV drips for dehydration.
But there are promising signs that drugs used to treat other conditions could work on the coronavirus.
One such drug is Avigan, an anti-flu drug developed by a Japanese company six years ago. Chinese authorities say the drug has been effective in treating coronavirus patients.
Japan's National Center for Global Health and Medicine says it administered an antiviral drug that is used to prevent the onset of AIDS to a patient infected with the coronavirus. The patient's fever went down, and their fatigue and shortness of breath improved.
Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say they gave an antiviral drug being developed to treat Ebola to a man who had pneumonia from the coronavirus. They say the man's symptoms began improving the day after being given the drug. He came off oxygen support and his fever went down.
Thailand's health ministry has said a combination of flu and AIDS drugs improved the condition of one patient, who later recovered completely.
But experts say further clinical studies are necessary to determine the safety and effectiveness of each of these drugs.
The data presented here are correct as of March 25, 2020.