COVID-19 SYMPTOMS
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. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19. This list does not include all possible symptoms:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
CHOA has published their Pediatric Assessment Tool which parents can use to see if their child needs to self-quarantine or access services. It is available at www.choa.org/assessment.
Children's COVID-19 hotline, 404-785-7955, open between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily.
COVID TESTING RECOMMENDATIONS
- If your child needs a routine COVID-19 test to participate in camp, after school activities, or for some other reason, please contact our office to schedule an appointment.
- If your child has had a known exposure* to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and is asymptomatic (has no symptoms) your child must stay home and self-quarantine for 14 days post-exposure. If you would like a test, please contact our office to schedule an appointment.
- If your child has symptoms of COVID-19 (see below) but does not need to be seen by a doctor, we recommend you treat the symptoms at home. Your child must self-quarantine for a minimum of 10 days after symptoms first started AND be fever free for 24 hours (without medication) AND resolving other symptoms. The recommended time to test for COVID-19 is at least 3 days after symptoms first start for the most accurate results.
- If your child is sick and you have concerns, please contact our office for an appointment. Depending on the symptoms and severity of illness we will recommend a telehealth appointment or an in-office visit.
- If you have more questions regarding COVID-19 or testing, please contact our office to schedule a telehealth appointment with one of our doctors.
*A known exposure is defined as being within 6 ft of a person who has tested positive to Covid-19 for more than 15 TOTAL minutes. This means that a child may have been around this person for 5 minutes, then 7 minutes, then 3 minutes.
WHAT WE ARE DOING AT PANA TO HELP KEEP YOU SAFE
- We continue to see children for essential Well child checks from 8:30am to 2:30pm. Only WELL children are seen during these hours.
- Catch up vaccinations and the Flu vaccine are also offered during these “Well” hours.
- Appointments are staggered to minimize wait times and facilitate appropriate social distancing.
- We are extending the time between appointments to allow for additional cleaning.
- We have telemedicine appointments available so your child can receive treatment without the need for an office visit. (Please note not all conditions are suitable for this type of appointment).
- We are available to see sick children in the office from 3pm – 4:30pm.
- We require ALL visitors over the age of 2 years to wear a facemask AT ALL TIMES during their visit to our office.
- We ask only 1 caregiver accompanies your child to an office visit to minimize any potential exposure.
- Our staff continue to wear a protective face mask and other items of personal protective equipment as needed during all patient encounters.
- Children that have any potential Covid-19 symptoms are being isolated on arrival. Our staff are equipped with appropriate disposable protective equipment per the CDC recommendations.
TELEMEDICINE VISITS:
For your convenience and safety, we do have the option of offering you a Telemedicine appointment for selected office visits and Med Checks. During the telemedicine visit with your physician/nurse practitioner, you may be asked to bring the child into the office for further evaluation.
The following symptoms may require an office visit for further physical evaluation.
- Severe cough
- Ear pain
- Sore throat
- Difficulty in breathing
- Respiratory distress
- Asthmatic symptoms
Your wellness is our number one priority and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that your family remains healthy.
Returning to school / work during the current Pandemic.
- If your child has had a KNOWN exposure (within 6 ft for >15 total minutes) to a person with Covid 19 and is asymptomatic – they need to self-quarantine for 14 days REGARDLESS of a negative test.
- If your child has had a KNOWN exposure, is asymptomatic and Tests POSITIVE to Covid 19 – they need to ISOLATE for a minimum of 10 days from the day of known exposure, assuming they remain symptom free.
- If your child is symptomatic and tests positive for Covid 19 with a mild case (not hospitalized) they need to ISOLATE for a minimum of 10 days from start of symptoms and at least 24 hours since last fever – these patients need to be seen by a provider in our office to clear them for return to school and sport*.
- If your child is symptomatic and tests positive to Covid 19 with a severe case (hospitalized) or is known to be immunocompromised, they need to ISOLATE for a minimum of 20 days from the start of symptoms and at least 24 hours since last fever and must be seen by a provider in our office to clear them for return to school and sport.
*Covid-19 has recently been linked to cardiac myopathy in a few pediatric patients that had Covid symptoms of varying severity. For this reason, children who have had Covid-19 with ANY fever OR had other symptoms for more than 3 days need to be evaluated by their provider in the office, typically 14 days after the start of the illness.