As Australia’s leading child health research institute, we continue to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of children and the community

COVID‑19 continues to circulate globally, with intermittent surges and evolving variants.

Our COVID-19 response leverages the breadth and depth of our research, innovation, and evidence‑based guidance. By working collaboratively, we aim to create a safer, healthier future for all children.

COVID‑19 continues to circulate globally, with intermittent surges and evolving variants.

Our COVID-19 response leverages the breadth and depth of our research, innovation, and evidence‑based guidance. By working collaboratively, we aim to...

COVID‑19 continues to circulate globally, with intermittent surges and evolving variants.

Our pandemic response

The COVID‑19 pandemic posed an unprecedented global challenge. At MCRI, we worked rapidly to understand how the virus affects children and young people, how their immune systems respond, and the role vaccines play in protecting them. These efforts not only helped navigate the immediate crisis but also laid the foundation for long-term strategies against COVID‑19 and future pandemics.

During the height of the pandemic, our research included:

Hospital admission studies showing that children were generally spared the most severe effects of COVID‑19, while the risk of long COVID remains an area of ongoing investigation.
Immune response discoveries, revealing that SARS‑CoV‑2 activates the innate immune system (the body’s first line of defence) in children but not in adults, highlighting age-specific responses to infection.
Stem cell research to study COVID‑19’s impact on organs and develop better treatments for those affected.
Critical vaccine advice and development, including supporting immunisation strategies and helping make vaccines available for children aged 12 to 15.

Our collaborative approach brought together expertise in paediatrics, infectious diseases, epidemiology, and immunology to protect children during the pandemic and prepare for future health threats.

How we’re preparing for future challenges

Our ongoing work focuses on preparing for future pandemics while continuing vital COVID‑19 research. We are:

Providing evidence-based insights to governments, healthcare professionals, businesses, and families, equipping them with tools to respond effectively to future health threats.
Investigating the impact of policies such as lockdowns and school closures on young people, ensuring that future responses protect their wellbeing.

By learning from COVID‑19, we aim to build a healthier future for children and strengthen global readiness to minimise the impact of future health crises.

Our focus going forward

Children and adolescents continue to make up a significant portion of COVID-19 cases, but hospital admissions remain low. Our researchers are working hard to understand why many young people have mild or no symptoms and to explore the long-term effects of the virus (long-COVID) on those who become unwell.

As evidence grows that SARS-CoV-2 impacts organs beyond the lungs, we are collaborating with leading experts to study causes, identify risk factors, and develop new ways of protecting children from severe complications. Our research now extends to developing targeted treatments to safeguard the health of future generations.