My son has tested positive. Unusual presentation. Hand hold please.

[pizzatoday]

My son (11) took a COVID test yesterday (Wednesday), it has come back positive. I'm an anxious person when it comes to my kids so I'm really scared. Tbh I've been scared anyway as he was really Ill Monday and Tuesday.

Also I don't understand something. It says that you must test within 5 days of symptoms starting but he had a big rash for 10 days before he was even slightly Ill(couldn't get test as rash was literally the only symptom). So he's tested positive on day 13. It's definitely the same rash cause it came up, faded, then came up again when his fever started.

He has had -

2 weeks ago - pronounced rash all over most of trunk, shoulders, folds of groin. No other symptoms and thought it could be a reaction to new clothes he got.

Rash faded after a few days.

The next Sunday night (so after 10 days of rash but no symptoms ) - same rash back up again, headache, dizzy, nauseous.

Monday and Tuesday - high fever (up to 40.6 at one point), lethargic tired, red eyes, headache when moving around. few pinprick blood spots back of throat.

Wednesday and Today - energy normal, headache gone, red eyes mostly better, temperature around 38 without Calpol. Rash still the same, maybe slightly faded.

My GP I spoke to said to call them back if it is COVID because it's an unusual presentation. They considered scarlet fever.

Having the rash ten days before getting Ill??

I'm worrying about MIS-C syndrome later now and fretting this may not be the end of it.

Has anyone else's child had these kind of symptoms??

I'm not sure why people have been surprised or puzzled by the rash appeared before other symptoms. Many people have had a rash that appeared either before, during, or sometimes many weeks after the presence of their other Covid symptoms. It's quite well-established.

People have also reported red eyes, eye irritation or conjunctivitis. The virus can enter the body via the eyes, also.

@cbt944

Puzzled because he tested positive this Wednesday. 2 weeks from when the rash began. If the rash was the onset of COVID, then shouldn't he have tested negative by 2 weeks later?? Test and trace had to seek advice about when his isolation period should be classed from.

I meant that medical people should really be aware and up to date, and not surprised that rash is a symptom and that it can predate other more obviously covid-related symptoms. I don't think the guidelines for isolation are anything but a reasonable guess, based on averages. Also, children show different responses to adults to the virus.

There's some stuff about length of positive tests here, for example:

www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-04/coronavirus-how-long-does-it-last/12419770

[quote pizzatoday]@cbt944

Puzzled because he tested positive this Wednesday. 2 weeks from when the rash began. If the rash was the onset of COVID, then shouldn't he have tested negative by 2 weeks later?? Test and trace had to seek advice about when his isolation period should be classed from.[/quote]
Interestingly, a rash was my first symptom - a viral rash which I have had before other illnesses in the past like tonsillitis or flu. The rash lasted a few days/week and then other symptoms came in waves - fatigue, fever, sore throat, chest pain, cough... My test was at least 2 weeks after my rash first appeared and I tested positive.

I also didn't know what to tell Track and trace - I mentioned my rash but they said it wasn't a listed symptom so they took my first day as when a "listed" symptom appeared.

This is all very interesting re people's rashes. Fact is with this being a new virus, we don't understand yet the range of symptoms and effects and outcomes. It's very early days.
How's DS today pizza?

My children (admittedly when much younger) have had rashes that looked very like that in conjunction with viral infections. I would assume this to be a Covid-induced viral rash (poss in combination with another virus, who knows?) and keep a close eye for now, but get him seen if it continues to drag on. I'm sorry, this must be worrying

I think you can test positive for up to 3 months after you've had Covid. I get tested weekly at work. I've recently had Covid and was told I won't be tested for 90 days from my positive test.

He's ok today except his temperature is back up to 38. It seems to go down about 8pm and come back up around 10am. Weird. His lips are red but his rash is less angry looking, no spread of the purple spots. Just giving him his favourite (healthy) foods.

[quote pizzatoday]@cbt944

Puzzled because he tested positive this Wednesday. 2 weeks from when the rash began. If the rash was the onset of COVID, then shouldn't he have tested negative by 2 weeks later?? Test and trace had to seek advice about when his isolation period should be classed from.[/quote]
You might find this helpful:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-52521897

You can continue to test positive weeks after being infected, but it’s not actually infectious virus (you’re just expelling dead lung cells).

Thanks @Redolent that's interesting. He does still have a temperature though. It looks like the rash was the precursor a week before his symptoms this week.

@blobbyface

I think you can test positive for up to 3 months after you've had Covid. I get tested weekly at work. I've recently had Covid and was told I won't be tested for 90 days from my positive test.

I'm pretty sure I did. I swear I had covid around the 16 march onwards with symptoms for 3 weeks. On the 12 June I took a test because the zone app asked me to. I had what I would say was hay-fever symptoms. Covid test came back positive. Was v v v suprised and am sure it was because I had been doing really long hours at work 70 a week and hadn't cleared it properly from March.