Covid-19 Symptoms in Children
Have you joined in with the Covid-19 Symptom study? It has come up with some interesting data I thought it would be pertinent to share.
We have been told many times what the symptoms of the disease are that we should look out for. Those are new, dry cough, fever and loss of smell and taste (anosmia). However the data shows that over half (52%) of under 18s who test positive for Covid-19 don't have any of these 'classic' symptoms in the week before and after the test. In fact, of the 20 symptoms listed in the app, a third (33%) of positive tested children never report any symptoms at all.
So, now children are back at school, how can us parents make the decision about whether it is safe for our children to be sent back to the classroom?
The top 5 symptoms that children who test positive are reporting are:
Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, comments:
"Knowing that children present less often with respiratory symptoms and are more likely to be suffering from headaches, fatigue and skin rashes, will help parents make the right decisions to keep them at home until they feel better. This is a stressful time for all and if as many parents log for their children as possible we will have a much clearer picture of Covid within local schools across the UK allowing us to keep schools open and children learning!”
- fatigue (55%)
- headache (53%)
- fever (49%)
- sore throat (38%)
- loss of appetite (35%)
- fatigue (87%)
- headache (72%)
- loss of smell (60%)
- persistent cough (54%)
- sore throat (49%)
Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, comments:
"Knowing that children present less often with respiratory symptoms and are more likely to be suffering from headaches, fatigue and skin rashes, will help parents make the right decisions to keep them at home until they feel better. This is a stressful time for all and if as many parents log for their children as possible we will have a much clearer picture of Covid within local schools across the UK allowing us to keep schools open and children learning!”
The app was created by doctors and scientists working in partnership with Zoe, a health science company.
It is being used to study the symptoms of Covid-19 and track the spread of this virus. It's a simple download from the App Store or Google Play (search Covid Symptom Study) and you log in with just your location and year of birth, no name or address details are required so the information collected is as close to anonymous as possible. You can report daily for just yourself or add profiles for other members of your family. It asks two daily questions - 'have you ever had a Covid-19 test?' and 'how do you feel today?' If you answer 'no' and 'normal' then that is it. There are more questions, which will help with more in-depth research, but answering them is optional.