LOS ANGELES, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A new study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health has found that people with food allergies are less likely to become infected with COVID-19 than people without them.

       The new study, published Wednesday in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, has also identified obesity and high body mass index (BMI) as associated with increased risk for COVID-19 infection.

       In addition, the study found that children ages 12 years or younger are just as likely to become infected with the virus as teenagers and adults, but 75 percent of infections in children are asymptomatic.

       Researchers said young children may be very efficient SARS-CoV-2 transmitters within the household due to their high rate of asymptomatic infection, their potentially high viral loads, and their close physical interactions with family members.

       The findings underscore the importance of vaccinating children and implementing other public health measures to prevent them from becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, thus protecting both children and vulnerable members of their household from the virus, said Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.