What are some of the symptoms of COVID-19 in children?
Fever and cough are common COVID-19 symptoms in both adults and children; shortness of breath is more likely to be seen in adults. Children can have pneumonia, with or without obvious symptoms. They can also experience sore throat, excessive fatigue or diarrhea.
Do most children develop mild symptoms after being infected with COVID-19?
Most children who become infected with the COVID-19 virus have only a mild illness.
What conditions put children at higher risk for COVID-19?
Like adults, children with obesity, diabetes, asthma or chronic lung disease, sickle cell disease, or who are immunocompromised can also be at increased risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.
What are some of the Long-term effects of COVID-19 on children?
Pain, headaches, fatigue, anxiety, depression, fever, cough and sleep problems have all been reported,” said Lawrence Kleinman, a professor and vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at RWJMS and a professor of global public health at the Rutgers School of Public Health and lead investigator for the Collaborative
How long does it take for the COVID-19 symptoms to start showing?
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.
How likely is it that children infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic?
Our review of the latest available data indicates that, while children who are infected with COVID-19 are more likely to be asymptomatic and less likely to experience severe disease (though a small subset become quite sick), they are capable of transmitting to both children and adults.
Who is most at risk for the coronavirus disease?
Older adults are at highest risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. More than 81% of COVID-19 deaths occur in people over age 65. The number of deaths among people over age 65 is 97 times higher than the number of deaths among people ages 18-29 years.
Which groups of people are at increased risks of severe illness from COVID-19?
Among adults, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. Severe illness means that the person with COVID-19 may require hospitalization, intensive care, or a ventilator to help them breathe, or they may even die. People of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are also at increased risk for severe illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
What are some exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine?
Some people may be at risk for an adverse reaction because of an allergy to one of the vaccine components or a medical condition. This is referred to as a medical exemption. Some people may decline vaccination because of a sincerely held religious belief. This is referred to as a religious exemption.
How long do lingering symptoms last after COVID-19?
Symptoms. People with post-COVID conditions (or long COVID) may experience many symptoms. People with post-COVID conditions can have a wide range of symptoms that can last more than four weeks or even months after infection. Sometimes the symptoms can even go away or come back again.
Are long term side effects possible with the COVID-19 vaccine?
Benefits of Vaccination Outweigh the Risks Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely unusual following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination.
What is multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in the context of COVID-19?
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19 in which different body parts become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. MIS can affect children (MIS-C) and adults (MIS-A).
Epidemiology
- Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demonstrate a lower incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease in children than in adults.1 However, without more systematic testing for children (including for children with mild symptoms as part of contact tracing) or seroprevalence studies, the true burden of pediatric SARS...
Clinical Manifestations
- The signs and symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children may be similar to those in adults, but most children may be asymptomatic or only have a few symptoms. The most common signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in hospitalized children are fever, nausea/vomiting, cough, shortness of breath, and upper respiratory symptoms.9,11 Of note, signs and symptoms of COVID-19 may …
Risk Factors
- Data to clearly establish risk factors for severe COVID-19 in children are limited. Data reported to CDC show lower hospitalization rates and ICU admission rates for children with COVID-19 than for adults with the disease.11,13 COVID-19-related hospitalization rates for children were highest in children aged <2 years and higher in Hispanic and Black children than in White children. The maj…
Vertical Transmission and Infants Born to People with Sars-Cov-2 Infection
- Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is thought to be rare, but suspected or probable vertical transmission has been described.27-29 Initial data on perinatal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 were limited to small case series with conflicting results; some studies demonstrated lack of transmission, whereas others were not able to definitively rule out this possibility.30-33 Among …
Treatment Considerations
- There are no results available from clinical trials that evaluated treatments for COVID-19 in children, and observational data on the safety or efficacy of drug therapy in children with COVID-19 are extremely limited. More high-quality studies, including randomized trials, are urgently needed. Guidance for the treatment of COVID-19 in children has been published and is mostly ex…
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
- A small subset of children and young adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection develop MIS-C. This immune manifestation is also referred to as pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome-temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PMIS-TS), although the case definitions for the syndromes differ slightly. This syndrome was first described in Europe, where previously health…
Pretravel Care
Vaccines
- If possible, children should complete their routine childhood vaccineson the normal schedule before traveling overseas. However, some vaccines can also be given on an “accelerated” schedule, meaning doses are given in a shorter period of time. Some travel vaccines cannot be given to very young children, so it's important to check with a travel medicine doctor, who shoul…
Diarrhea
- Diarrheais among the most common illnesses experienced by children who are traveling abroad. For infants, breastfeeding is the best way to prevent diarrhea. Older children visiting developing countries should follow basic food and water precautions: 1. Eat only food that is cooked and served hot. 2. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables that you peeled o...
Malaria and Other Diseases Spread by Bugs
- Diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as Zika, chikungunya, malaria, dengue, and yellow fever, are common throughout Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. Help your children prevent mosquito bitesand use insect repellent: 1. Children should wear insect repellent and long pants and sleeves. Permethrin can be applied to clothes for extra protection. 2. Do not use insect repellents on babi…
Rabies
- Rabiesis spread through animal bites or scratches. Although it is rare, rabies is almost always fatal if not treated promptly. Rabies is more common in children than in adults because children are more likely to try to pet strange animals. Tell your children to stay away from all animals, but reassure them that if they do get bitten, they should tell an adult immediately. Any animal bite sh…
Road Safety
- Car crashes are the leading cause of death in children who travel abroad. In general, children are safest traveling in the back seat, but no one should ever travel in the back of a pickup truck. In many developing countries, cars may lack front or rear seatbelts. When using transportation or renting vehicles in other countries: 1. Make sure there are seatbelts and other safety features. 2…
Drowning and Water-Related Illness and Injuries
- Drowning is the second leading cause of death in children who travel abroad. Children should be supervised closely and should always wear a life preserver around water. Children should not swim in fresh, unchlorinated water such as lakes or ponds, because some infections (such as schistosomiasis and leptospirosis) are spread by contact with fresh water.
More Information