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Most children and adolescents infected with COVID-19 experience less severe symptoms than adults.
The age of the person infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (which causes COVID-19 disease) determines the type of disease presentation. Fortunately, children and adolescents have less severe diseases than adults.
Children have been found to exhibit some of the most common symptoms of coronavirus or COVID-19 disease, which may include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Headache
- Loss of taste and smell (rare)
- Cough
- Difficulty breathing
- Congestion or runny nose
According to the research and data, the novel coronavirus behaves differently in children. Researchers have discovered that children displayed a unique set of symptoms, with one-third of the children being asymptomatic.
According to the COVID-19 data, approximately:
- 50% of children had fatigue
- 54% had a headache
- 38% of children had a sore throat with cold-like symptoms
- 35% of children skipped meals due to loss of taste and smell for a few days
- 15% experienced an unusual skin rash
- 13% experienced gastrointestinal problems, such as diarrhea and abdominal pain
- Nearly half of the children had a fever
Apart from this general picture of milder COVID-19 sickness in children, there are just a few severe medical issues that may arise.
- Toxic shock syndrome: A rare bacterial infection consequence.
- Atypical Kawasaki illness: A condition in which the artery walls become inflamed. Fever, inflammation, and indications of altered organ function are all symptoms.
It is yet unknown whether the COVID-19 virus or some other unknown component is causing these unusual symptoms.
Virus variants effect on children
- Virus variants indicate virus changes, and the SARS-CoV-2 virus is also changing its form over time.
- Many of these changes do not affect the virus' ability to transmit or cause the disease.
- However, some variants are referred to as "variants of concern," and these viruses require additional research. Scientists are investigating how the virus spreads and causes disease.
- In terms of transmission, the virus variant discovered in the United Kingdom showed an increase in transmissibility across all age groups.
- This includes an increase in transmission among younger children. However, nothing has been concluded. Research is underway on these virus variants.
How infectious is COVID-19 in children?
COVID-19 is an infectious disease that can cause a child to become ill with cold or flu-like symptoms that include:
- Fever
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Sore throat
- Body pains
The virus can be found on objects that have come into contact with an infected person's mouth, nose, hands, or bodily fluids. This means that the virus can spread if you come into contact with an infected object.
- Symptoms may appear suddenly and last for two to seven days. Depending on how severe the illness was recovery from symptoms, such as fatigue and cough could take several weeks.
- Symptoms can differ from one child to the next. Some children may experience no symptoms at all, whereas others may experience mild symptoms.
- The incubation period for COVID-19 can range from 1 to 14 days. This means that the virus can infect people for up to 14 days before symptoms appear.
How are COVID-19 symptoms in children managed?
There is currently no treatment for COVID-19 that can make it go away faster.
If your child has COVID-19 and is experiencing unpleasant symptoms, your doctor or another health professional will advise you on how to manage the symptoms depending on the severity.
- Most children with moderate or mild disease can be managed solely through supportive care (rest, increasing fluid intake, and controlling the fever through acetaminophen)
- Admitting pediatric patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease should be done on a case-by-case basis.
- In children with severe COVID-19, supportive care along with the support of vital organ functions may be recommended.
- Respiratory ventilation and oxygen saturation maintenance therapies
- Antithrombotic therapy and thromboprophylaxis (blood thinners)
- Shock management
- Acute kidney injury and kidney replacement therapy (RRT)
- Depending on the child's age and the severity of the disease, treatment for hospitalized children with COVID-19 may include antiviral, such as remdesivir, and steroid medications
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a new syndrome that affects a small number of children who have previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2.
- Mild cases have no signs of cardiac involvement, inflammation, and shock (may not initially require treatment)
- Most severe cases necessitate significant vasoactive-inotropic interventions and ventilator support
Immunization to prevent COVID-19 in children and adolescents younger than 18 years
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine emergency authorization to use in children aged 5 to 15 years and full approval to use in people aged 16 years and older.
Because many of the symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to flu symptoms, determining which illness your child has without a definitive test can be difficult.
- If you or your child exhibits symptoms of the flu or COVID-19, go to the nearest emergency room (ER) as soon as possible to be tested for both viruses.
- ER and urgent cares provide influenza testing as well as highly accurate, quick, and dependable COVID-19 testing, such as the coronavirus antibody test.
Because COVID-19 is a new disease, there is so much more to learn about it. As a result, drawing any conclusions is difficult, especially in children.
Adults who care for children infected with the coronavirus must do everything they can to prevent further transmission within the household. This includes handwashing regularly, deep cleaning of surfaces, etc.