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Apr 30, 2024 · Children with COVID-19 may have serious or mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Symptoms may show up from 2 to 14 days after contact with the virus that causes COVID-19. The most common symptoms are fever and a cough, including a barking cough linked to croup.
Apr 5, 2024 · How to Tell If a Child Has a Rash from COVID . Children can develop rashes for all kinds of reasons, not just COVID-19. A healthcare provider can perform testing to identify some rashes, but the best way to confirm whether COVID-19 is the cause of a rash is to perform a diagnostic test.
Sep 23, 2021 · While symptoms can vary, they generally include a high fever and inflammation in almost any organ system. This requires early evaluation and often hospitalization for supportive care and treatment. Consult with a health care provider if symptoms of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children develop in your child or teen.
- Overview
- What are the most common symptoms of COVID-19 in babies and kids?
- Are there lesser-known symptoms of COVID-19 in babies and kids?
- How does COVID-19 affect babies?
- Are rapid tests accurate for babies and kids?
- What should you do if your baby or child has COVID-19 symptoms?
- How do you keep the rest of the family healthy if your child has symptoms of COVID-19?
- How common is COVID-19 in babies and kids?
- How do I treat COVID-19 affecting a baby or child?
- The bottom line
It can be hard to identify COVID-19 in children as their symptoms are often mild. They may have no symptoms at all. It is a good idea to do a test if a child shows any symptoms of illness, especially if they’ve been exposed.
For the past few years, COVID-19 has dominated public discourse. At first, countless conflicting reports led to confusion that it was just like the flu, and that it didn’t have the same impact on children as it did on adolescents and adults.
As we head into our third year of research on COVID-19, more is known about how the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 affect various people in our communities. We now know that pediatric infection rates are similar to that of adults, though many children may not have any symptoms.
In fact, researchers in one 2022 pediatric study examined antibody tests. They found evidence that up to 77% of children have already had COVID-19. We now know that children can, in fact, contract the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
For parents and caregivers, this can cause anxiety — is that cough and runny nose just a cold that’s circulating through day care, or something more serious?
This article sheds light on the most common symptoms of COVID-19 in children, and what to do if you suspect your child has it.
Experts note that COVID-19 symptoms in children are similar to those documented in adults. However, the symptoms in children are usually not as severe.
In many cases, children may be asymptomatic. This means that no symptoms may be present even though they test positive.
Common symptoms of COVID-19 include:
•fever
•headache
•fatigue
Even though children tend to have a less severe reaction to COVID-19 than older populations, one serious risk COVID-19 poses to children is the potential to develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).
Researchers still don’t fully understand the link between MIS-C and COVID-19. But they do know that since the appearance of the novel coronavirus, many children with MIS-C had either an earlier coronavirus infection or were exposed to someone who had COVID-19.
MIS-C can affect multiple organ systems across the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, and brain. If left untreated, MIS-C can be deadly. In most cases, it’s easily treated.
If your child has symptoms of MIS-C, get them evaluated by a doctor immediately. Symptoms associated with MIS-C include:
•fever
•bloodshot eyes
Studies are still being conducted to determine how COVID-19 specifically affects babies.
One 2022 study from Poland looked at infections in infant populations (newborns up to 12 months old) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (March through December 2020). Researchers noted the majority of cases in this group were mild.
Of the infant cases reviewed — even though 94% were hospitalized — 276 cases were mild, six were moderate, 32 were asymptomatic, and none were reported as severe cases.
Similar to adults, the most common symptoms were low and high grade fevers. However, other reported symptoms included:
•cough
•diarrhea
A 2022 study from Germany suggests that at-home rapid antigen tests tend to be less precise or accurate than the RT-PCR test, which healthcare professionals perform.
Experts have consistently questioned the effectiveness of at-home tests because of known issues regarding low sensitivity to detect the coronavirus across all age groups.
This means there’s a higher possibility of false negatives for at-home rapid tests. Coupled with a heightened chance of improper nasal swabbing in younger populations, there’s an increased risk of getting incorrect results from an at-home rapid antigen test performed on children.
Parents and caregivers should keep in mind that a rapid test only offers results for a snapshot in time. It can only provide sufficient results if there’s enough viral load for the test to pick up.
The coronavirus’s incubation period ranges from 2 to 14 days, with the average being 3 to 6 days, depending on the coronavirus variant.
So, a negative rapid test result doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the clear if the test is taken fewer than 14 days after a known exposure. It could mean the virus is not yet detectable.
If you suspect that your child may have been exposed to COVID-19, your first step should be to get them tested.
While at-home tests might provide an initial answer, it’s always best to take your child to a physician or clinic for an RT-PCR test. This test type offers higher accuracy and has a lower false-positive rate.
Plan to keep your child at home from day care or school if COVID-19 is suspected to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others.
Currently, there’s only one antiviral medication for COVID-19 that’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in babies and children under the age of 12: remdesivir (Veklury).
It’s only administered intravenously at healthcare facilities and used for children with an increased risk of developing severe symptoms.
The CDC currently recommends that if your child tests positive for COVID-19, treat the day you first noticed symptoms as day 0 and the following day as day 1. The organization recommends that children be kept at home for at least 5 days. Ideally, try to isolate them from other members of the household.
When you’re caring for small children, isolating them from yourself or other family members can be a tall order — especially if they’re babies and not self-sufficient enough to manage basic tasks without adult supervision.
In this case, you’ll want to wear a mask when interacting with your child. Wash your hands frequently to avoid transmitting the coronavirus to other surfaces or family members.
Anyone can contract the coronavirus and develop COVID-19. But according to health organizations around the world, babies and children consistently tend to contract the virus less frequently and in a milder form than in older populations.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, as of early September 2022, there have been a total of 14.7 million cases of COVID-19 reported in children in the United States since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
With an active case of COVID-19, it’s important to talk with a doctor to determine what type of treatment is needed.
Depending on your child’s age and the severity of their illness, a doctor may recommend different treatments. A very mild case may just need home remedies and rest. Others might be better served by introducing a therapeutic or antiviral medication.
COVID-19 continues to be an issue of concern. While babies and children tend to contract the coronavirus less frequently and usually develop a milder case of COVID-19, they are not immune to it.
To date, vaccination is the best preventive method to reduce the chances of hospitalization, getting very sick, or dying from COVID-19. If your baby or child contracts the coronavirus, seeking immediate medical attention can ensure that they receive treatment that can help recovery and reduce symptoms.
- Dorian Smith-Garcia
Jun 8, 2020 · Fever: Although most adults report a fever with COVID-19, fevers are slightly less common among children, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Jun 22, 2022 · Fever or chills. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Muscle or body aches. Sore throat. New loss of taste or smell. Diarrhea. Headache. New fatigue. Nausea or vomiting. Congestion or runny nose. Some symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu are shared and it may be difficult to determine which of either might be present.
Overview. What are COVID-19 symptoms in kids? In most cases, COVID-19 symptoms in kids are milder than the symptoms experienced by adults with the virus. Sometimes, infected children show no signs of being sick at all. Possible symptoms of COVID-19 infection in children include: Fever. Chills. Cough. Shortness of breath (dyspnea). Sore throat.
