A study that was carried out by the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford suggests that school children that are under the age of 15 are more likely to be hit by lightning than die from the deadly coronavirus.

Scientists at Cambridge and Oxford have called for a rational debate based on the risk the novel coronavirus poses towards children.

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, the chairman of the Winton Centre for Risk at Cambridge University, said that if there is no vaccine or cure found for this disease, it may be better for younger people to continue with their everyday lives.

Professor Sir Spiegelhalter said that this tactic had been used before.

Previous generations had also dealt with the issue by allowing youngsters to pick up infections when they were less dangerous.

During a briefing on the new data, Professor Sir Spiegelhalter said:

If, years in future, we don’t have a vaccine then we might have to think about how to protect those age groups most at risk while younger people can continue with their lives. In school kids aged five to 14 it’s not only a tiny risk, it’s a tiny proportion of the normal risk,” said Sir David, who is a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). I remember the pre-vaccination era and I was sent round to play with friends with measles, mumps and chickenpox. I’m not suggesting this is the public health solution to his, but if no vaccines come along you might be thinking that. If, years in future, we don’t have a vaccine then we might have to think about how to protect those age groups most at risk while younger people can continue with their lives. I don’t think that will ever involve encouraging people to get infected.

The COVID-19 death rate in children for 5 to 14-year-old kids in England and Wales is currently just 1 in every 3.5 million people.

For kids that are under 5 years old, the numbers are just 1 in every 1.7 million people, which is less than the rate in which people are struck by lightning each year in Britain.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accident states that around 30 and 60 people are struck by lightning every single year in Britain.

This means that 1 in every 2.21 million people and 1 in 1.1 million people are at risk of getting hit by a lightning bolt each year.