Follow these steps if your child tests positive for COVID

1. Stay at home: Follow ISOLATION (for people who test positive) and QUARANTINE (for household contacts of the person who tested positive) guidelines. If you have a young child who might be difficult to isolate, is best to minimize their interaction with other household contacts especially if they have a high risk medical condition.

2. Reach out: Contact anyone  with whom your child might have had 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). 

3. Self-Observation at home

4. Treatment:  Increase fluid intake, rest, and good nutrition. Use a humidifier if your child has congestion. There is no established medicine regimen for children to follow at this time. People with COVID-19 should avoid strenuous exercise, but gentle walking and movement is encouraged (try not to lie in bed all day - gently move your legs to get the blood circulating). For those with cough - encourage deep breaths  and change position every few hours to help keep the lungs open.  

5. 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 with COVID-19. Call us at (407)814-4934 with any questions, or right away if your child has:

• Fever (100.4 degrees or higher) lasting over 24 hours
• Diarrhea or Vomiting
• Neck Pain
• Rash or change in skin color
• Bloodshot eyes
• Trouble Breathing
• Pressure in the Chest that doesn't go away
• Becoming confused
• Unable to wake up or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

6. 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. All My Kids Pediatrics is currently following the recommendations from the AAP in regards to return to activity/ sports (American 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 - 6 months, cardiology clearance required prior to resuming training or competition.