Tips On Caring For Children With COVID At Home

Unfortunately, as the Delta variant spreads, we are seeing more COVID-19 cases in children. If you are a parent caring for your child with COVID-19 at home, here are some suggestions:

1. Keep them comfortable: make sure they are dressed appropriately, not sweating or shivering.

2. Keep fluids up: with any viral infection, staying hydrated is key. This is especially important if your child is suffering from diarrhoea or vomiting.

3. Use paracetamol or ibuprofen if needed: if your child is uncomfortable with pain or fever, you can use paracetamol or ibuprofen to help. Please follow the product instructions or your health professional’s advice for administration.

4. Keep an eye out for serious symptoms: if your child has a prolonged fever (>5 days), difficulty breathing, chest pain, is excessively sleepy or irritable, seek urgent advice from their care team. For any emergency, call an ambulance and let them know the child has COVID-19.

The good news is there’s no convincing evidence yet that the Delta variant is causing more severe illness in children to date, and long-COVID in children is rare. Most children’s symptoms will resolve in 4-8 weeks, and will return to full health within 3-6 months.

Sove CPAP Clinic is a leading Australian provider of Respiratory, Sleep Disorders, Cardiology and PPE services and products. Based in Sydney, it has a network of 40 clinics nationwide.