My Child Has Covid19. What Should I Do Next?
Symptoms of Covid19 can include any of the following: fever, cough, runny nose, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, loss of sense of smell or taste and in more severe cases, shortness of breath or labored breathing.
Care of children with Covid19:
The vast majority of children with COVID19 will have mild symptoms and can be safely cared for at home without a doctor’s visit. Children can be given Tylenol, Motrin (if over 6 months of age) and cough/cold medication if over age 4. Children should hydrate well and get plenty of rest. For most children, treating Covid19 similar to a head cold is adequate.
Very rarely, some children may develop severe Covid19 or a complication known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). In addition to fever and the symptoms above, children with MIS-C might develop abdominal pain, rash, chest pain, bloodshot eyes and neck pain. Children with these symptoms and/or shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, or severe illness should be taken to the Children’s Emergency Room at Memorial Hospital in Savannah for evaluation.
Isolation for children with Covid19:
Older children should stay confined to their bedroom and wear a mask if they need to leave their bedroom for any reason. Other family members should avoid entering the bedroom if possible and wear a mask if they do enter the bedroom.
All children with Covid19 should stay home until their isolation ends. Please do not bring sick children to school, the doctor’s office, pharmacy or otherwise out in public. Isolation can end for sick persons when it has been at least 10 days since onset of symptoms AND the person has been fever-free for at least 24 hours AND their symptoms are improving.
Return to sports after Covid19
Recent studies have shown that Covid19 can cause myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle in up to 3% of infected children. Sick children under quarantine should not exercise. If your child has had mild symptoms, there should be no problem with return to full sports activity after having Covid19 and completing the full quarantine. Any student athlete who experiences chest pain, shortness of breath out of proportion with a mild infection, fainting, heart palpitations, has had more than 4 days of fever (above 100.4 F), more than a week of muscle aches, chills or lethargy (tiredness), should have an in-office exam for physician clearance after completing quarantine. Those with significant symptoms might require referral to pediatric cardiology for further assessment.
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