Children and COVID19

[godhelpusall]

I'm interested in experiences of children with C19. My kids have both had it and it has lasted weeks and (particularly for DD) has been really awful. I keep seeing articles etc about how children don't get it badly but the cynical part of me wonders whether this supports a back to work agenda. I'd be interested to find out any experiences of children having it- it can't only be mine who have been ill for 6 weeks?

How old are your children? Were they tested? I think had it just before lockdown, but as they weren’t tested I can’t know for sure. Both had a high temperature and a cough (no other symptoms) for 2-3 days then were fine.

Have your children been tested?

I’m not sure about it being a ‘get people back to work’ thing though. Firstly, the whole ‘children get it mildly’ was being told to us before there was even any hint of a lockdown over here... in fact before we even had our first confirmed case. That was the info that was coming from China. If anything, as things have progressed, I think we’ve been seeing more and more information that some children don’t just get it mildly. Especially the info around the Kawasaki type symptoms.

No but both me and their dad also had it. For me the complete loss of smell and taste that we all had (amongst a myriad of other symptoms that came and went over six weeks) was very convincing. I think if you have that particular symptom it can only be COVID 19. It really is like no other virus we have ever had.

I know of two of our school families, both with three children, who have been affgected:

Family 1 - 3 boys between 8 and 14. All mildly ill for less than a week whereas both parents were floored for 2 weeks.

Family 2 - 2 boys and a girls between 8 and 12. 1 child and the mum were very ill (not hospitalised but 3 weeks in bed), 1 child had mild symptoms and 1 child and the other parent either didn't catch it or were asymptomatic.

A 6 week old baby has died today (albeit with underlying conditions) so there is obviously a range of severity, even if it's incredibly rare for the illness to be very severe. .

Here in Ireland we just had a break down of children who have had it. They can't say how many died due to confidentiality but there's just over 800 cases between infant to 19years. These are all the tested positive cases, so I'm sure there's many more who haven't been tested.

It is worrying when people say kids don't get it. They do. There's proof they get it.

I don't know if they were /are suffering badly, we are not told. There have been deaths, not sure if underlying conditions.

I think we just need to be careful. They certainly do get it, they also like others can get it so mild that it's not evident and can be mistaken for general illness.

Until they are let back out mixing, we won't know for sure how things will pan out. But I do think many kids have had it and parents thought it was other illness. Certainly scary because they can pass it on to someone else who could suffer worse with it.

I believe we’ve had it in our house. DS 12 started symptoms first (fit and healthy normally) and it took him just over 4 weeks to get over the breathlessness, temperature, and headaches. He had it the worst.
DD 9 still has mild temperature and tight chest almost 6 weeks on.
I had it for 2 weeks and bounced back. DH had no symptoms. Neither child was super I’ll it just went on and on, but the breathlessness was worrying.
Not tested, but were seen by a GP after 3 weeks to look them over who felt certain it was COVID.

We think we may have had it in our house before lockdown. DH really ill temperature, cough, struggle to breathe etc drs said assume it is corona and isolate. DS age 8 had a temperature and awful cough for 4 days and felt weak. DD age 2 had high temperature and cough and was on oxygen in hospital for 2 days as her oxygen levels were low and she was on a drip as wasn't eating or drinking and IV antibiotics for pneumonia following a chest X-ray.

Me and DS age 11 were fine minor sore throat and headache for a couple of days and nothing else! So you just can't tell, none of us have underlying health issues and we all had our flu jab/spray.

The person I caught it off is a teacher and she caught it off some children who had been on a school ski trip to Italy. Children definitely transmit it as well as catching it.

unless you've all been tested then you don't know if you've had it , you can't go about telling everyone oh I've had covid because you were ill, unless you had a positive test then you can't be sure you've had it !

I disagree @bethg21.

There are some very specific symptoms that are not seen in any other virus. When I lost my sense of taste and smell (before anything had been mentioned here) it was so strange- not like a cold where you might lose your smell with a blocked nose. I googled it, and it came up saying it was one of the most googled things in Iran during the Coronavirus peak there. The COVID toes, the symptoms that come and go, the combination of respiratory and gastric symptoms and a weird rash. Yes I think that during this pandemic of this very contagious virus, I have definitely had it.

I think the emergence of the Kawasaki like syndrome in Children is very very concerning. Even if it's small numbers (40 in London alone), schools have been off for 6 weeks.

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/06/kawasaki-disease-coronavirus/

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/children-hyper-inflammatory-disease-coronavirus-a4434636.html

Thanks for starting the thread Godhelpusall, DD (11) has been suffering since the week before lockdown started. She has had a raised temperature almost constantly (varying between 37.1 up to 38.8) and has, among other weird symptoms, had a cough, intermittent diarrhoea and aches and pains, utterly exhausted and weepy.

We were sent to A&E by GP after 3 weeks and she was thoroughly checked but didn’t need admitting, so was not tested, though the doctor said she thought it was covid, as much because DH, DS1 and I have all had symptoms. The three of us had mild symptoms which we shrugged off fairly quickly (except for my loss of taste and smell which lasted for over 2 weeks and I agree is v weird and like nothing else I’ve ever experienced).

DD also last week had a course of antibiotics in case of secondary infection but they haven’t made a difference.

It is concerning woodpidgeons, although I’d be interested to know how many children suffer serious effects from other viruses. DD1 was hospitalised with Kawasaki type symptoms after having hand, foot and mouth.

1 DS (age 6) had vv high temp (over 40) for 2 days then absolutely fine!

1 DS (age 8) had.it.so.mildly he was just a bit grumpy for a couple.of days and felt a bit tireder than usual

(DH really.quite ill.for.a couple.of.weeks. I was mildly.ill for.about 6 weeks, with little flare ups over that time when I felt awful)

My children (3 - 11) had it!

DC1: mild cough for two weeks.
DC2: nausea for one night
DC3: high temperature for three days, cough for two weeks

Me: fever, itchy eyes, chest pain, chest tightness, breathlessness, back pain, nausea, fatigue for 50+ days

Not sure if it or not. But during oockdown
Dd1 had sore throat then cough for well at least 3w.
Dd2 had something before lockdown that caused temp and about a week later a cough. And that cough lasted well at least 4w at which point she got this other thing and blended in cough so has had than since end of feb and only just getting over it.! So probably 9w and im not sure she is better.
I had SOB chills and exhausted. And nasty cough but dry.
Dh who is never ill had awful cough then phlegm. And still doesnt seem right.

We caught it around 8th apr so peak.
But imo both my dc with get asthma especially dc2 as they dont cope with exercise and get a cough after most colds. This has been the worst they have been. However with the theory cv has been in uk longer, dd2 hasnt been right since nov. She has thrown up almost monthly and had flu in dec. After not getting ill at all enough to have time off last academic year. So im hoping her immune system hasnt been affected.
If its not cv then weve had an awful year illness wise

2 Dr confirmed covid but no tests.
Dd 6 high temp cough, aches diarrhea for 2/3 days
Ds 4 (just) 8 days of temp between 38.-40 + diarrhea, cough, conjunctivitis. Never seen him so ill. Right at beginning a few days before school closed, very touch n go whether he would be admitted but just kept him drinking (didnt eat for 5 ish days and vomiting with temp)
Me- cough, temp (I started first- I'm a teacher....) aches, tiredness- 3 maybe 4 days felt bad then recovered slowly over another week.
DH- sick for 2 to 3 weeks, temp, cough, aches etc

Thanks all. @Keepdistance and @sleepwhenidie that sounds awful for your poor dds. It really is the gift that keeps on giving for some people, and particularly hard for children. I hope that you all pick up soon. I think if people knew that this long and drawn out illness was possible for children they might be less keen on sending them to school

godhelpusall I have to say that in that respect, the lockdown has been a godsend, the idea of keeping her off school for 6 weeks is horrendous. At least with the way things are she can do as much as she can from home and keep up with her class.

My nephew (6) was in ICU with it and although now home he is still unable to play outside or do anything above a slow walk 3 weeks later. My sister is in her 4th week of illness. Her other child didnt get it. He caught it at school where she works and he was in also and there has since been a spike.3 children in my small keyworker school group have had it but not been hospitalised although unfortunately our TA is currently in hospital with it.

I agree i cant see anyone wanting dd1 in school right now wuth the snot and coughing. (Especially as it's very unclear how long you are contagious for and even if it's not covid how would i know she had a 'new' cough.

I think if schools reopen so many kids in primary would be off a lot due to covid symptoms that may actually just be normal cold/flu but then those 'sickly' kids will be missing more. Without work sent home.
I think something from china said generally in the population 1% of people had a fever. (At any one time).
Also apparently kids often present cv with d&v but those kids would only be off 48h - if parents keep them off at all.
People are so convinced kids dont spead it they wont keep kids off.

Ds1 (14) had a mild case but still gets occasional v tired days 3 weeks later.

Next door neighbours children (4 and 2) . 4 year old was quite (but not dangerously) ill (fever, cough, diarrhoea) for about 10 days, 2 year old milder but v nasty cough.

I think we had it in our house aswell. We all had a virus but all had different symptoms.

Ds (6) - temp over 40 for days that would not come down, went to the gp 3 times in 6 days and he had a viral ear, nose, throat and sinus infection. He hardly ate for a week and a half and was sleeping round the clock.

I was next then, a few days into his illness I woke up at night with severe pain in my throat, then came dizziness. I went to the gp - again it was viral. Then came the worst flu like illness I have ever experienced, I was completely wiped out for days. I then dizziness and stinging eyes for weeks and had a strange cough that stayed for 5 weeks.

Dp - had really bad headaches (he thought sinus headaches) that were so severe he came home from work (he works away) and went to the gp.

Baby- rattly chest. (Also saw the gp)

This was all within the space of 6 days.

It was pre lockdown but was after a colleague returned from China and was really ill for weeks with a flu like virus. He was in and out of the office during that time.
Subsequently the person I sit beside at work fell ill and was able to be tested - it came back positive.