Cold, Flu, Allergies, or COVID-19?
Your kid wakes up with a sniffle and sore throat. In 2019, you wouldn’t think much about it. But, it’s 2020. Is this COVID-19??
The only way to know if your child has COVID-19 is to test. That’s it. But, until you get a chance to talk with your child’s doc, here are clues to help determine what is going on and what to do next.
Community rates are climbing in most areas of the country. (That’s us, Kansas.) If your child is ill, do NOT take her to school, sports practice, events, or family gatherings without talking with your child’s doc. This is JUST THE BEGINNING of our winter season and we need to remain vigilant to keep our COVID-19 rates from escalating.
Remember the hallmark of seasonal allergies is itchy eyes, nose, and skin. Plus, most kids have a history of similar seasonal symptoms. Try an OTC long-acting antihistamine and/or nasal steroid for help and call your doc.
(Knocking on wood). We have not seen the flu in our community. Influenza is notorious for a RAPID onset of fever, respiratory symptoms and fatigue in kids. It really knocks kids down. Get your flu shot now.
Common colds are UPPER respiratory infections. Runny nose, congestion, sore throat and mild fever are common. Without a history of asthma, URIs rarely cause significant chest tightness, congestion, or GI symptoms.
COVID-19 is a mimicker of all of these symptoms combined. In kids, it has slower onset than flu, more chest-y symptoms than URIs, and loss of taste and smell is a thing. Kids are also having more GI symptoms with the illness. The risk of COVID-19 is also increased in communities with high rates and after a known exposure.
Here’s a cool chart to bookmark from our local hospital system. It may help as we march through this illness season.
Bottom line: Please call your doc and let us help. This is not easy to figure out and will be a continuous problem for all of us this winter. Let’s work together to correctly identity and isolate people with the virus, working to keep our communities and families well.
