As Chicago-area health officials warn people under the age of 20 are being especially hard-hit by the virus, many parents are likely wondering what symptoms they should be aware of in children and teens.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children have similar symptoms to adults, and in many cases experience milder illness.
While children are as likely to get COVID-19 as adults, kids are less likely to become severely ill," the Mayo Clinic reports. "Up to 50% of children and adolescents might have COVID-19 with no symptoms. However, some children with COVID-19 need to be hospitalized, treated in the intensive care unit or placed on a ventilator to help them breathe."
Hospitalizations of children were on the rise during the omicron surge that swept the nation earlier this year. Earlier this year, some Chicago hospitals reported their highest rates since the pandemic began, with even more than the delta surge.
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Many hospitalizations, however, have not not required intensive care and have been in the unvaccinated or those too young to be vaccinated.
In addition, Mayo Clinic says babies under the age of 1 might be at higher risk of severe illness with COVID than older children.
The symptoms present in children, like adults, can vary from several to none at all.
The most common symptoms in kids are cough and a fever, according to Mayor Clinic. Possible symptoms include:
Fever
Cough that becomes productive
Chest pain
New loss of taste or smell
Changes in the skin, such as discolored areas on the feet and hands
Sore throat
Nausea, vomiting, belly pain or diarrhea
Chills
Muscle aches and pain
Extreme fatigue
New severe headache
New nasal congestion
For some children, COVID is only the beginning as some have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome following their infections.
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"Evidence indicates that many of these children were infected with the COVID-19 virus in the past, as shown by positive antibody test results, suggesting that MIS-C is caused by an excessive immune response related to COVID-19," the Mayo Clinic reported.
MIS-C severely inflames certain organs and tissues, including the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin or eyes.
As Chicago-area health officials warn people under the age of 20 are being especially hard-hit by the virus, many parents are likely wondering what symptoms they should be aware of in children and teens.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children have similar symptoms to adults, and in many cases experience milder illness.
While children are as likely to get COVID-19 as adults, kids are less likely to become severely ill, the Mayo Clinic reports. "Up to 50% of children and adolescents might have COVID-19 with no symptoms. However, some children with COVID-19 need to be hospitalized, treated in the intensive care unit or placed on a ventilator to help them breathe."
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