As adults, it’s important we remain calm with our actions and words, and share factual information. Sharing accurate information during a time of heightened concern is critical. One of the ways we can protect our community from illness is to keep rumors and misinformation from spreading.

Here are some resources you may use to talk about the coronavirus with your children: 

• Video: Coronavirus Explained for Kids
• Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus

We are here to help! Please contact our Deputy Executive Director, John Petree.

According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC): Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that usually cause mild respiratory illnesses such as the common cold. Some coronaviruses have caused more severe illness, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new coronavirus that was not identified in humans before December 2019. Learn more: CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The symptoms of COVID-19 infections can range from very mild to severe respiratory illness and may include fever, cough and shortness of breath. These symptoms can be very similar to those for influenza, so it may be difficult to distinguish without clinical testing.

The best way to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19 is to follow all the same basic practices that are important for protecting yourselves from influenza.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these include

• Washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• If soap and water are not available, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash, and washing your hands
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Staying home when you are sick

No, there is no evidence that children are more susceptible. In fact, most confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported from China have occurred in adults. Infections in children have been reported, including in very young children. From limited information published from past Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreaks, infection among children was relatively uncommon.

Children should engage in usual preventive actions to avoid infection, including washing hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer, avoiding people who are sick, and staying up to date on vaccinations, including influenza vaccine.

The CDC and other public health experts do not recommend that people who are well wear face masks as a way to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.

As there is currently a limited global supply of masks, they should be reserved for caregivers of patients with infections that require mask use or by patients with cough or other symptoms of respiratory illness.

If you have not traveled to an area of the world with sustained community transmission of COVID-19 within 14 days of feeling sick, you should follow the same steps that you would take if you thought you had the flu. These include staying home from work or school, unless you feel that you need medical attention.

If you have traveled to infected areas, or had contact with someone who has, and feel sick with a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing within 14 days, you should call your doctor’s office, urgent care clinic, or emergency department ahead of time and tell them your recent travel and symptoms. They can help to make decisions about whether, when and where you be evaluated.

Anyone who requires medical care can receive care, regardless of insurance status.

Decisions about testing currently are made on a case-by-case basis by health care providers and public health departments. The CDC testing criteria for COVID-19 were recently expanded to include a wider group of symptomatic patients after more cases of community transmission were confirmed in the U.S.

The CDC’s persons under investigations (PUI) criteria, which offer guidance on who to test for COVID-19, were last updated on March 4, 2020:

• Clinicians should make decisions on whether a patient should be tested based on the patient’s signs and symptoms as well as the local epidemiology of COVID-19.
• The CDC notes that most patients with confirmed COVID-19 have developed fever and/or symptoms of acute respiratory illness, such as cough or difficulty breathing.
• Clinicians are strongly encouraged to test for other causes of respiratory illness, such as the flu.