COVID in Children: Everything you need to know

Coronavirus variations, including the highly contagious omicron form, are spreading in more places, especially in communities with low COVID-19 immunisation rates. To limit the risk of being infected by the coronavirus, especially in children who are too young to be vaccinated and adults who haven't been vaccinated, should follow COVID-19 precautions such as wearing a mask in public and other indoor locations prone to the virus. Let us know more about COVID in children in this blog.

Infants can become infected as soon as they are born. Most neonates who test positive for the coronavirus have minor or no symptoms and recover quickly, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pregnant women should take extra precautions to avoid the coronavirus infection. They should discuss with their gynecologists to take their COVID vaccines.

COVID in Children and Adults: Symptoms

• Cough
• Fever or chills
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Muscle or body aches
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell Diarrhoea
• Headache Fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting, congestion or runny nose

Fever and cough are common COVID-19 symptoms in adults and children; shortness of breath is more likely to be seen in adults. Children can have pneumonia, with or without apparent symptoms. They can also experience sore throat, excessive fatigue or diarrhea.

However, severe illness in children with covid is possible, and parents should stay alert if their child is diagnosed or shows any symptoms.

Parents or guardians should immediately seek urgent or emergency medical care if they notice these warning signs in a child:

• Difficulty breathing or catching their breath
• Inability to keep down any liquids
• New confusion or inability to awaken bluish lips

The symptoms are very similar to the Delta variant, which includes cold, cough, fever and body ache. However, 'sickness' isn't noticeable in the patients in this variant. It offers a massive ray of hope, showcasing that the variant isn't nearly as dangerous as the previous one. If parents test positive for Covid and have a child in their care, they should isolate themselves until 7 days after the symptoms disappear. This new regulation is different from the one government had released previously, where the patients had to quarantine for 2 weeks.

Doctor Somashekhar says that if a mother has tested positive for the virus, she cannot pass it to the child through breastfeeding, but she may pass it if she has close contact with the child, so wearing masks is highly recommended. Also, to curb the spread of the virus at home, parents should sanitise their hands, shower, and follow appropriate sanitation procedures before contacting their children when they come home from outside. It would help minimise the spread of the virus.

Ovum Hospital is ready to fight against Covid by taking all the necessary precautions to limit the spreading of the virus. People accompanying the patients have been limited to one. If a patient has to be admitted to the hospital, she should be taken a COVID test. If she turns out to be positive, she is moved to the isolation ward for delivery, where she is nursed one-on-one for extra safety. The child is also tested within 24 hours of delivery to ensure that s(he) isn't positive. If the child is tested positive, provisions are made for it accordingly. We care about your well-being which is why we are the best children's hospital in Bangalore.