Healthy Habits: Children's Healthcare and Covid-19

As the COVID-19 peak is passing in various regions, Dr. Joshua Rocker, Chief of the Division at Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, is sharing his perspective on children’s healthcare and the four things parents should consider. 

This story comes courtesy of the Woodbury app available in the app store and on Google Play. 

1. Healthcare is safe, so get the care you need - We’ve learned a great deal about how to identify the signs of the virus, triage suspected patients and take the proper safety precautions necessary to keep all patients and employees safe. Pediatric offices are now equipped to safeguard you and your child from potential exposure. Surfaces are cleaned regularly, following CBD guidelines. Additionally, personal protective equipment is worn at all times, especially in the emergency department. 

2. Kids need to get their vaccines - One of the glaring results of COVID-19 has been a dramatic decrease in children being vaccinated for non-COVID illnesses. If children aren’t vaccinated, we are bound to see a spike in pneumonia, and other seriously harmful infections like haemophilus influenza, which is a major player for children getting meningitis and other bacteria in their blood. 

3. COVID wasn’t nearly as severe in children - The implications for the virus in kids was minimal. The one concern, though, has been multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a severe inflammatory syndrome with Kawaski-disease-like features. MIS-C emerges about a month after children recover from COVID (some may not even know they had COVID) as a high inflammatory process. Children with MIS-C have persistent fever, upset stomach and oftentimes a rash (on palms and soles) and conjunctivitis (the clear that does not make the goo). If your child has these for three or four days, they should be evaluated. 

4. Act on irregularities and symptoms - It’s hard to go back to “normal,” but your kids are important. They need to be evaluated if they are experiencing abdominal pain, dehydration, difficulty breathing or severe allergies - regular conditions that cause hospitalizations. Other issues may be appendicitis, pains in the right lower part of belly, nausea, vomiting and an ongoing lack of appetite. Stay in touch with your child’s doctor and keep them abreast of anything out of the ordinary. Telehealth may be available for primary care and some sub-specialities that are non-urgent concerns.