Thank you for the question.
You have said it right. Obesity and diabetes were recognized as factors for vulnerability to COVID-19 very early on, in the beginning of the pandemic. These are definitely comorbidities that are impacting the immune system. That's not in terms of the research but, obviously, it has been described more in adults. Often, it is a negligible factor for illness in children.
As my colleague Dr. Lamarre explained, there is a need for improving research in pediatric diseases, especially infection and the impact of these comorbidities. There is definitely more research that needs to be done. I think this should be prioritized in the funding in the next years in Canada and worldwide. We need to have a better understanding of how life and comorbidities impact the capacity of children to combat infections.
This can be done through research, of course, but I also liked the intervention from Professor McKinney, who said we also need to work upstream. I think we need more education on all lifestyles and how what children eat impacts their capacity to fight infections and other diseases.
It's definitely a priority. It needs to be integrated. I think it needs to be part of the research program mission from the institute that funds health, but also the social sciences. All of these need to come together in integrated funding to address this question and educate more. It should also be part of education at school to help children very early in their lives to understand how this can impact their lives.