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

1. 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.

 

2. 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.

 

3. 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.

 

4. 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.

 

5. 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.