What to look for as many people wait for the vaccine – NBC Chicago

With children returning to school after their spring break vacation and children not yet vaccinated with COVID-19, many parents wonder what symptoms they should be aware of. I am.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children show symptoms similar to adults and often experience mild illness.

“Children can be infected with COVID-19 just like adults, but children are less likely to become ill.” Mayo Clinic Report.. “Up to 50% of children and adolescents can be infected with asymptomatic COVID-19, although children with COVID-19 are hospitalized, treated in the intensive care unit, or to aid breathing. You may need to wear a ventilator. “

Children’s hospitalizations increased during the surge of Omicrons that swept across the country earlier this year. In December and January Some Chicago hospitals have reported the highest rates since the pandemic began.Even more than the previous Delta Surge.

However, many hospitalized people did not require intensive care and were either unvaccinated or too young to be vaccinated.

In addition, the Mayo Clinic states that babies under the age of 1 may be at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 than children older.

Symptoms seen in children, like adults, range from a few to none at all.

According to the mayor of the clinic, the most common symptoms in children are cough and fever. The possible symptoms are:

• heat
• Cough to be productive
• Chest pain
• New loss of taste and smell
• Changes in the skin such as discolored parts of the feet and hands
• sore throat
• Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhea
• cold
• Myalgia and pain
• Extreme fatigue
• New severe headache
• New stuffy nose

For some children, COVID-19 is just the beginning because it was diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome after infection.

“Evidence indicates that many of these children have been infected with the COVID-19 virus in the past, as indicated by positive antibody test results, and MIS-C is associated with COVID-19 excess immunity. It suggests that it is caused by a response, “reports the Mayo Clinic.

MIS-C severely inflames certain organs and tissues, including the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin, and eyes.

The possible symptoms of this condition are:

• Fever lasting more than 24 hours
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• Stomach pain
• Skin rash
• Fast heartbeat
• Rapid breathing
• Red eyes
• Redness and swelling of the lips and tongue
• Abnormally tired
• Redness and swelling of hands and feet
• Headache, dizziness or lightheadedness
• Enlarged lymph nodes

The MIS-C emergency warning signs are:

• Can’t wake up or can’t keep awake
• Dyspnea
• New mess
• Light, gray or blue skin, lips, or nail bed, depending on the color of the skin
• Severe abdominal pain

With regard to so-called “long-distance COVID” or “long-distance COVID”, some children may also develop long-lasting symptoms.

According to the CDC, this condition is less likely to occur in children and adolescents, but some cases have been reported.

“The most common symptoms reported are fatigue and malaise, headaches, sleep disorders (insomnia), poor concentration, muscle and joint pain, and coughing,” the CDC reports.

Currently, children over the age of 5 are eligible for Pfizer’s COVID vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only treatment approved in the United States for children aged 5 to 17 years.

Pfizer said it in February Was postponed The rolling application to the FDA has expanded the use of vaccines for children under the age of five. Did not generate a strong enough immune response Children 2-4 years old.

Previous data showed Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provided little protection against coronavirus infection in children aged 5 to 11 years, but provided protection against serious illness.

Researchers have found that Pfizer’s shots still provide protection against serious illnesses from COVID, with protection against hospitalization reduced from 100% to 48% over the same period.

In welcome news for some parents, Moderna said last month that the COVID-19 vaccine elicits a strong immune response and is generally well tolerated in children aged 6 months to 6 years.

The company said it plans to file a request for approval with the Food and Drug Administration “in the coming weeks.”