Covid or chickenpox?

[Kawale]

Hi all
My entire family had covid (PCR confirmed) a few weeks ago. On the same day that he got his positive PCR test, my son also started to get a rash which appeared exactly like chickenpox - starting with small spots which became blisters which eventually scabbed over. We assumed this was a COVID-related rash since chickenpox-like rashes are one of the common manifestations of covid. My daughter did not get any symptoms of covid at all until 15 days after her positive test at which point she got a rash exactly like the one my son had and a fever. I am now questioning whether it's more likely that they both happened to get this somewhat unusual manifestation of covid (perhaps the strain that we as a family caught happens to be particularly likely to cause this type of rash?) with my daughter being one of the 10% or so of patients who had a very long (>14 days) incubation periods.. Or is it more likely that my son happened to catch both COVID and chickenpox at exactly the same time - and he then passed the chickenpox virus on to his sister. It doesn't really matter either way (we are continuing to isolate to be on the safe side) but I happen to be a virologist by training and not knowing what is going on is killing me! Anyone got any thoughts or clues? Does anyone know whether the COVID-related rashes tend to happen in clusters (e.g. multiple people in one family)or are they dispersed completely randomly?? I have seen some scattered reports that rashes are more common with Omicron but can't find anything definitive.

A friend of mines child had a rash like this and they were convinced it was chicken pox. Turned out it was covid but they were also questioning whether they had the two at once? Could it be that chicken pox is showing up as covid? I don't know if this is even possible?

As a virologist you’re more likely to know than the rest of us
A quick google shows mainly allergy type blotchy rashes with Covid, it could just be bad luck that they’ve copped chicken pox and Covid together, there’s so many different symptoms though so it could be Covid on it own .

Hope no one is too unwell, it must be miserable for you all x

Have they had chicken pox before? Can’t viruses and stress bring on shingles? Could it possibly be that?

My teen DD had a rash during covid on her elbows and hands (would have been delta variant) I’ve just checked the pictures and they do look like blisters. Doctor said it wasn’t anything to do with covid and was eczema 🤔 and prescribed steroid cream. It did take the rash down though.

The incubation period of chicken pox is about 2 weeks which is why i lean towards it being chicken pox.

But its perfectly possible your son had covid and chicken pox at the same time.

DS has had both in the space of just over a month, and there is a large number of chicken pox cases about atm.

Thanks so much for all these quick responses! It is known that covid definitely can cause a chickenpox like rash (it can cause a few different types of rash - the main ones are chillblain-like, hives-like and chickenpox-like) - and we know because of the PCR tests that we definitely all had covid. So if it had only been my son who had the rash I totally would assume it had been COVID-related. What is weird is that my daughter got it too - it seems surprising that both of my kids would happen to get this slightly unusual manifestation. I should add that one of my kids is adopted so its not even that they both could have a weird susceptibility to the rash because they are genetically related. So I am also tending towards thinking it was probably chickenpox co-infection... Unless there are certain strains of covid which are more likely to cause the rash..? Any further clues welcomed!

Were they itchy ? Although a Covid rash could be itchy same as chicken pox - so no help there !

Anything is possible but I do know Chicken Pox and Hand Foot & Mouth are doing the rounds.

I think he's been unlucky.

My vote is for chickenpox!

COVID weird rash scenario involves your DD being positive for 15 days before having symptoms. Very surprising. PLUS two ‘biologically unrelated’ children both having the chicken pox rash as a response to covid. Also surprising.

Where as the chicken pox theory only involves one surprising thing- that the son got covid and chicken pox at the same time. Of course for all we know, brewing chicken pox might have brought his immune system down.

I understand the NEED TO KNOW! My brain does that, if your brain does that too, it could be what makes virology interesting to you! I do have to temper my NEED TO KNOW or it drives me mad. I find asking myself if it is possible to know the answer with the information available, and if it’s not, I find it a little easier to live with the uncertainty.

Having said that, it will be interesting to see if the spots arrive in waves like chicken pox.

One last thing, and I hate to add to the unknowns, but if it was my child I might want to touch base with a Dr to see if Mis-c needed to be ruled out. As she has got a temp and rash a few weeks after covid.

But chicken pox does make sense.

This is interesting. There's an outbreak of chickenpox and covid simultaneously in my DC's nursery room at the moment. Happened all at once and now wondering if they could be related, or if In fact this particular covid strain causes chicken pox-esque spots on children? A few parents saying the spots seem to be staying on the torso.

Chickenpox and Covid are both fairly rampant in nursery, reception and Year 1 in my DC school at the moment. Some children have one or the other and some are getting both (concurrently or consecutively). It's definitely chickenpox though as some have it and not Covid

Thanks all - very helpful! I particularly found the comment from @Snowiscoldy helpful - that both scenarios are unlikely but the covid (only) scenario requires 2 unlikely occurrences while the covid + chickenpox only requires one. So I am edging more towards the covid + chickenpox explanation.