Kids and COVID: Keep your child's health front of mind

As pleasant North Carolina weather brings families time to enjoy spending time with their children, parents scramble to figure out the best ways to keep their kids healthy. With concerns about the spread of COVID-19, some parents may hesitate to let their kids leave the house. However, there are plenty of ways for kids to get out and have fun while keeping COVID in mind.

Dr. Shauna Guthrie, medical director for Granville Vance Public Health, recommends spending more time outside as a way to stay healthy. "What you want your kids to do relies on your comfort level and your child's health. If a child is healthy, doesn’t have asthma or doesn’t get sick often, you may feel more comfortable letting your child do more activities and hang out in more crowded areas than a child who has lung problems or other health conditions." Additionally, it may depend on the composition of a household; those with young, healthy individuals may have less to worry about than those who live with an elderly grandparent or other family members with medical conditions.

For children who cannot get the vaccine, Dr. Brian Shackleford echoes these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of social distancing when possible and using PPE when necessary. "When kids go to play and do activities in the summer, it is good to use PPE, mask up as much as possible and always wash our hands," he said.

However, parents can feel confident in the protection provided by the vaccine. According to Shackleford, the vaccine is somewhere between 60 to 70% effective at preventing infection, but protection from serious illness is well over 90%.

Shackleford also recommends getting kids outside as much as possible and being active. "Outside, you have to worry a little bit less about social distancing and children have more freedom to be themselves. Kids are not just going to stay around themselves, so being outside is better because there is not the same predisposition to having the virus linger like with being indoors." He also suggests that parents try to reinforce for their children how to stay safe during COVID or with any disease. This includes using PPE and creating and implementing hand washing routines into your child's daily life.

So what should parents do if their kids are showing symptoms or have been around someone with COVID? Shackleford says, "The need for surveillance testing is going down and should be case by case, so if your child is showing symptoms or has been around someone who had COVID, it may be the time to get a test." He also advises that parents pay attention to how their kids feel and act. If they seem more irritable than usual or are not eating as well, these could be signs that they could have come down with the virus. Gutherie has similar advice, saying, "If you see a change in your child and they are not acting like themselves, it may be time to get your children and those in your home tested."

So what are the best ways for kids to stay healthy during COVID? Both experts recommend spending more time outdoors, keeping up with handwashing and PPE, and being aware of how your child is feeling. Monitoring who your children hang around can also limit their exposure. This can take the form of talking to the daycare, camp or after-school program they attend and learning if children are rotated through groups or if they hang out in the same small groups daily. The latter makes exposure less likely to happen. It is also worth talking to the parents of your child's friends to see what their at-home routine for COVID prevention is like. This can help ensure that your child is not being exposed when they are outside of your care by finding those with a similar risk tolerance to your family’s so you can limit exposure.

With a little planning and research, parents can easily find ways to let their kids have fun while keeping COVID in mind. By following experts' suggestions, parents can ease their worries and give their kids the fun they deserve.