Introduction
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, it is important to remember that children are not immune to the virus. In fact, a virus expert recently warned that kids can get pretty sick with COVID-19. While the majority of cases in children are mild, there are still risks associated with the virus, and it is important to take the necessary precautions to protect your family. In this article, we will discuss the warning from the virus expert and provide tips on how to keep your family safe from COVID-19. We will also provide some healthy eating tips to help boost your family’s immune system and reduce the risk of infection.
Virus Expert Warns “Kids Can Get Pretty Sick With COVID” — Eat This Not That
As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, experts are warning that children are not immune to the virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently warned that kids can get “pretty sick” with COVID-19.
“We’ve seen children who have gotten very sick,” Fauci said. “We’ve seen children who have been hospitalized, and we’ve seen children who have died.”
Fauci’s warning comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that more than 1.2 million children in the United States have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.
The CDC also reports that children are more likely to experience milder symptoms than adults, but they can still suffer from serious complications, including pneumonia and inflammation of the heart, brain, or other organs.
To protect children from the virus, the CDC recommends that parents and caregivers take the following steps:
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
- Stay home when you are sick.
In addition to following the CDC’s guidelines, parents should also make sure their children are eating a healthy diet. Eating a balanced diet can help boost the immune system and protect against infection.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products. They should also limit their intake of processed foods, sugary drinks, and foods high in saturated fat.
By following the CDC’s guidelines and eating a healthy diet, parents can help protect their children from the virus and ensure they stay healthy.
As we type, the FDA is hearing expert opinion about the safety of COVID vaccines for 5 to 11 years olds, and if all goes well, the CDC may approve the Pfizer vaccine for that age group in early November. But why do kids need this vaccine, and is it safe? Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the the National Institutes of Health, appeared this morning on Good Morning America to discuss just that. Read on for five life-saving pieces of advice—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Will vaccines for 5 to 11 year olds help end the pandemic? “Don’t we all hope so?” said Collins. “Yes. I think that’s right. These are after all kids who can get infected. Sometimes they can get pretty sick. Pediatric ICUs have lots of kids of this age right now. So we want to provide them with as much protection as possible. And they also are capable of spreading this to others. So if we can create a situation where more of these kids are not getting infected, we should be able to drive this pandemic down, which is what we really hope to do. Even as we face the cold weather and other concerns about whether we might see another surge, we don’t want that. And this would be one significant step forward in getting our country really in a better place.”
Hesitant to vaccinate your kids? “I totally understand that,” said Collins. “And I think parents need to be listened to. They’re usually pretty smart about their kids, and I think there’ll be a lot of conversations going on between parents and pediatricians about this very issue, but one shouldn’t actually discount the fact that kids can get pretty sick with COVID-19. Sadly more than 700 children have died of COVID. Since this pandemic began, kids can also get the long COVID consequences, even though they might not have a severe case. It turns out some of them just don’t seem to recover. They have the fatigue, the brain fog makes it hard to function in school. So that’s another reason to try to provide the protection. And of course the big question is, is it safe? And the data that will be discussed today by this FDA advisory committee looks really good.”
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“It still is the case that lots of kids are getting infected, especially with Delta, because it is so contagious,” said Dr. Collins. “That’s one more reason why I think it’s going to be difficult to, in many instances, to keep schools completely open. So dealing with the vaccination as a means of preventing that is going to be a good step forward. Again for a parent, trying to figure out benefits versus risks, parents have dealt with other vaccinations for other diseases. This one, in terms of the data and the data is all public. It looks really good. The effectiveness—Pfizer said 91% protection against symptomatic disease. And the safety record looks really good, using about one third, the dose that you would for an adult, you get a really good immune response.”
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“I think Halloween ought to be a lot of fun,” said Collins. “Most of that’s going to be outside, which is good. And then Thanksgiving and Christmas and Hanukkah coming up again. I think a lot of families right now trying to figure out if we’re going to have a gathering, should we have some limits on being inside unless everybody’s vaccinated. Let’s be careful about that. Another thing to think about is now these over the counter home tests are increasingly available. That’s another thing families are considering doing before getting together for the holidays. Maybe everybody get a test and make sure you’re not the one who’s carrying this virus without realizing it. That would be an added level of protection. But I think we’re all kind of ready to celebrate again and be with our families. I’m hoping to do that with mine.”
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Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.