My Child Tested Positive for COVID-19, what should I do?
PLEASE DO NOT COME INTO THE OFFICE IF ANYONE IS COVID POSITIVE until quarantine is completed.
Follow these steps after your child tests positive for COVID-19:
Was this a “rapid” test you did at home? Where informed by the school.
Stay at home: PLEASE DON’T SEND YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL follow ISOLATION (for people who test positive) and QUARANTINE (for household contacts of the person who tested positive) guidelines.
Reach out: to anyone your child was in contact with during the 48 hours before they started to have symptoms, or during the 48 hours prior to the positive test result (if your child had no symptoms). These people should follow the SELF-OBSERVATION guidelines. It would be very difficult to completely “isolate” a young child from the rest of the family so do your best to minimize interaction between a child who is positive and any high risk family members in your household.
Treatment: Hydrate, rest, and eat well. Use a humidifier if your child has congestion. There is no protocol or official “at home” medicine regimen for children to follow at this time. At this time no supplements have been proven to help children recover faster or avoid complications from COVID-19. People with COVID-19 should avoid strenuous exercise, but gentle walking and movement is encouraged (try not to lie in bed or on the couch all day – gently move those legs to get blood circulating). For those with cough – encourage deep breaths and change position every few hours to help keep the lungs open. The treatments described below will help your child feel better and help the body’s own defenses fight the virus:
Increase fluid intake
Use cool mist vaporizer or saline drops or nasal spray (with bulb suction for babies) to relieve congestion
Ibuprofen or acetaminophen for discomfort with fever or aches and pains
When to call the doctor: The majority of children with COVID-19 will experience mild symptoms. Dehydration, pneumonia, and wheezing are possible complications. A very rare, but serious condition called Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is possibly connected to COVID-19. Call Apple Pediatrics at (239) 455-1882 with any questions, or right away if your child has:
- Fever (100.4 degrees or more) lasting over 24 hours
- Diarrhea or Vomiting
- Neck pain
- Rash or change in skin color
- Bloodshot eyes
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
5 Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone
*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
After the Illness: Guidelines for health monitoring after COVID-19 in children are being developed and are likely to change as more research and data are available. Find more information Return to Sports Guidelines at healthychildren.org. Apple Pediatrics is following current recommendations from the Academy of Pediatrics:
Children with mild illness (fever less than 4 days, short duration of body aches and lethargy): minimum 10-day resting period without exercise or competition (counting from start of positive test), visit your PCP for exam and clearance, then proceed with a gradual return to physical activity over the course of at least 7 days.
Children with moderate illness (fever, body aches, chills, or lethargy for more than 4 days, or needed a non-ICU hospital stay and no evidence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children): after a minimum of 10 days past the date of the positive test result do an ECG and cardiology consult prior to resuming training or competition.
Children with severe illness (ICU stay and/or intubation, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children): restrict from exercise for a minimum of 3 to 6 months, cardiology clearance required prior to resuming training or competition.
Call Apple Pediatrics at (239) 455-1882 if you have any questions about your child’s health.
