COVID-19介绍，covid—19

查看疾病控制和预防中心(疾控中心)和家长网的《新冠肺炎指南》,了解有关统计数据、疾病传播和旅行建议的最新信息。

新型冠状病毒新型冠状病毒（及其引发的疾病新冠肺炎)让整个世界都处于边缘状态，但也许没有人像父母一样担心。当细菌不可预测且无处不在时，保护儿童远离疾病似乎是不可能的。虽然专家们最初报告说，新冠肺炎基本上不伤害儿童和蹒跚学步的孩子，但最近的研究表明，他们并没有完全摆脱困境。

根据美国儿科学会(AAP)的数据，超过670万美国儿童被诊断出患有新冠肺炎病。这占所有冠状病毒病例的16.9%。美国儿科学会总统医学博士萨利戈扎(莎莉高扎)在一份新闻稿中说，这些数字令人不寒而栗，提醒我们为什么需要认真对待这种病毒。虽然对新冠肺炎还有很多不为人知的地方，但我们知道，儿童中的传播反映了更广泛的社区正在发生的事情

RELATED: 家长需要知道的关于冠状病毒疫苗的一切谢天谢地，新冠肺炎似乎对孩子的影响没有那么严重。在报告数据的各州，0.1%至1.9%的新冠肺炎儿童住院，只有0.00%至0.03%的病例是致命的。此外，2021年2月发表在《PLOS》计算生物学》上的一份来自以色列研究人员的报告发现，20岁以下的人对新冠肺炎病毒的易感性只有一半。他们也不太可能将疾病传染给他人。

尽管如此，5岁以下的儿童还不能接种疫苗，所以家庭继续保持谨慎是很重要的，因为儿童仍然可能感染冠状病毒——并传播它

以下是父母需要了解的关于幼儿和儿童的新冠肺炎症状，以及预防这种疾病的建议。

COVID-19 Symptoms in Kids and Toddlers

需要注意的是，新冠肺炎并不适合所有人。许多孩子没有任何副作用，而另一些孩子症状轻微

t resemble the common cold—especially with the Delta variant. Very few have severe cases that lead to respiratory distress or death (although this is rare). Tragically, Black and Hispanic populations are most at risk.

Kid and toddler COVID symptoms generally appear within two to 14 days of exposure. Fever and cough are most common, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but children might experience any of the following side effects.

• Fever 
• Cough
• Runny nose or congestion
• Sore throat
• Gastrointestinal issues (like nausea, vomiting, or stomachache)
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Shortness of breath 
• Body aches
• Poor appetite 

"Symptoms of COVID-19 are similar in adults and children and can look like symptoms of other common illnesses such as colds, strep throat, or allergies," notes the CDC. The organization also adds that a recent systematic review estimated 16 percent of children had asymptomatic COVID-19—"but evidence suggests that as many as half of pediatric infections may be asymptomatic."

• RELATED: Up to 43,000 U.S. Children Have Lost a Parent to COVID-19

So how long does COVID-19 last in kids? It varies for every person. Most symptomatic children will recover within two weeks, but if they have complications, it could take a little longer to get better. Long-haul COVID that sticks around for weeks or months has also been reported in kids. 

little girl in her mother's arms at breakfast table Credit: Westend61/Getty Images

Can Kids Have COVID-19 Complications?

While most children get mild cases of COVID-19, severe complications happen on rare occasions. The risk of serious illness seems to increase if the child has an underlying medical condition. According to the CDC, these conditions include congenital heart disease, obesity, asthma or chronic lung disease, diabetes, or sickle cell disease.

A study published on May 11, 2020, in JAMA Pediatrics focused on the "early experience of COVID-19 in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs)" by collecting research from 46 PICUs in North America. It found that 48 American children were admitted to 14 PICUs between March 14 and April 3, 2020. A majority (83 percent) had underlying medical conditions, 38 percent needed ventilators, and 4.2 percent died.

Rarely, the coronavirus can lead to a condition dubbed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Several children have died from the mysterious illness, which resembles Kawasaki disease. Symptoms include fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, bloodshot eyes, fatigue, and neck pain, according to the CDC. And while more information is needed, experts think it may be an immune system overreaction to COVID-19 exposure.

• RELATED: 5 Things Parents Need to Know About Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

Why is COVID-19 Usually Mild in Children and Toddlers?

Since COVID-19 is a novel disease, experts still don't know many things about it—including why children usually have lower transmission rates and milder symptoms. "We don't definitively know the reason," says K.C. Rondello, M.D., MPH, CEM, clinical associate professor at the College of Nursing and Public Health at Adelphi University. 

That said, here are a few theories within the medical community:

Kids have a different immune response. One theory is that children have better immune responses than adults, which helps them fight off the coronavirus. "Children's immune systems are not fully functional until later in their development. As a result, they have a considerably stronger and more robust immune response to pathogens than adults," explains Dr. Rondello. Many experts tentatively support the hypothesis, but there's also a hitch: The coronavirus seems to spare most infants even though their immune systems aren't fully formed yet. 

• RELATED: Here's What Science Says About How Safe It Really Is to Reopen Schools in the Pandemic

Kids have fewer preexisting conditions. "The death rate for COVID-19 is higher among individuals with certain pre-existing conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. This may help explain why many children seem to be at lower risk, since they are less likely to have these types of preexisting conditions," says Aimee Ferraro, Ph.D., faculty member for Walden University's Master of Public Health (MPH) program.

Experts might not be identifying all coronavirus cases: Robert Frenck, M.D., medical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, says that a reporting bias might be to blame. It's possible that children with mild or asymptomatic cases aren't being tested for COVID-19—which means the coronavirus may be affecting more children than reported.

Kids could have "immunological cross-protection": According to Dr. Rondello, a number of different viruses could give you the common cold—including milder forms of coronavirus. "Children get colds a lot, so they're already being exposed to more benign, less intense coronaviruses. They could have potentially built immunity to them," he says. Dr. Rondello calls this "immunological cross-protection."

• RELATED: Will the COVID-19 Vaccine Be Mandatory for Kids?

My Child Has COVID-19 Symptoms: Now What?

Does your child have fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, or other symptoms of COVID-19? Keep them away from other family members while you call their doctor. They might recommend getting a COVID test, depending on your child's symptoms, risk factors, and potential exposure.

Your child (and other members of the household) will need to quarantine until you receive COVID test results—and they'll need to isolate at home if the test comes back positive. Give the sick person their own bedroom and bathroom, if possible, and take other preventive measures to contain the illness. Learn more about caring for someone with the coronavirus here.

Seek medical help immediately if your child has difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, inability to stay awake, changing skin color (especially if the skin looks pale, blue, or gray), or other worrisome symptoms.

• RELATED: Quarantining at Home as a Family: What to Do After COVID-19 Exposure or Diagnosis

How to Prevent COVID-19 in Children

Like the cold and flu, the coronavirus is a respiratory illness that spreads through contaminated droplets. These droplets enter the body through the eyes, nose, and mouth, says Miryam Wahrman, Ph.D, biology professor and director of the microbiology research lab at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, and author of The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World. The CDC says that airborne transmission is also possible.

Kids under 5 years old aren't able to get vaccinated yet. They should follow all CDC guidelines to prevent infection: wearing a mask in public, practicing social distancing, and washing hands often. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer can also work in a pinch.