Different hospitals and providers have different criteria when it comes to admitting children for COVID. Generally though, kids will be considered for admission if they require IV fluid therapy (they have not been eating or drinking for a few days, having excessive diarrhea or vomiting, and are urinating less), require oxygen, require close monitoring if they have other medical conditions, or if they continue to have fevers that are not responding to around-the-clock medication.

In a true emergency, such as when a child is experieincing difficulty breathing or is turning blue in the face, please call 911 immediately.

Because COVID is a viral infection, it will not respond to antibiotic therapy, which is specifically designed to treat bacterial infections. That being said, viral infections (including COVID) are managed by treating symptoms.

Your child might be prescribed NSAIDs such as Tylenol and Motrin to help treat fevers and relieve aches and pains. These medications can be alternated every 3 hours to help mitigate fevers and provide comfort.

Generally, cough suppressing medications will not be prescribed to children under 4 years old (Per the American Academy of Pediatrics) due to risk for life-threatening side effects.

Your nurse will generally assess your child's vital signs periodically. This includes taking his or her temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate, heart rate, and oxygen saturation.

Your nurse will also assess your child's fluid status. If your child is showing signs of dehydration (chapped lips, not drinking, dry mucus membranes, not producing tears when crying) IV fluids may be started.

Your nurse will also assess your child's respiratory effort and lung sounds. Sometimes respiratory infections can cause the lungs to sound different due to the accumulation of phlegm.

Your nurse will assess your child's oxygen saturation levels to make sure his/her body has enough oxygen to function properly. If your child's oxygen levels are below a certain standard (usually below 90%), then supplemental oxygen might be given.

Sometimes, depending on the status of your child, IV fluids will be started to make sure he/she is not becoming dehydrated. For this, a nurse will have to insert an IV. The provider will prescribe continuous "maintenance fluids" to help your child's body maintain a healthy hydration state.

Sometimes children will require a little extra oxygen support while hospitalized, depending on their oxygen saturation levels. Your child may be hooked up to a device that continuously reads their oxygen saturation level through a sensor on top of the skin. If only a little oxygen is required, they will be given oxygen support through a nasal cannula that is hooked up to bedside oxygen. If their saturation levels demand higher amounts of oxygen, the nasal cannula will be switched out for an oxygen mask. Our goal is to make sure your child's oxygen levels are above 90%.

If your child is coughing up a lot of mucus, the nurse can provide bedside suctioning to help. Your nurse can also give you a bulb suction to use.

Discharge usually depends on your child being able to breathe without oxygen, eat and drink adequately, have normal vital signs, and remain afebrile (given that there are no other co-existing factors that would require further monitoring)

You may be discharged with instructions to continue alternating Tylenol and Motrin every 3 hours for fever and comfort control

Home care should include encouraging drinking fluids, giving medication for symptom treatment, isolation for 5-10 days (per the CDC), and disinfecting/cleaning surfaces when possible to mitigate the spread of the virus

Sometimes patients can still test positive for COVID even after 10 days. This is because the body has created antibodies for the virus and can still be detected after an active infection. This is called active immunity. Generally, as long as a patient has gone more than 24 hours without a fever without use of fever-reducing medication and is not symptomatic, they will not be contagious. It may take up to two weeks to become asymptomatic. Follow the advice of your provider when deciding to stop isolation.

Medications containing Dextromethorphan (products with "DM" on their label such as Robitussin DM) should not be used in children under 4 years old due to risk of life-threatening complications. However, cough supressants can be used in older children with close monitoring.

Some at-home remedies to help treat COVID symptoms include Vicks, honey (but do not give honey to infants due to risk for botulism), air humidifiers, gargling with warm salt water to help a sore throat, and peppermint scents and hot steam to help open nasal passages.

Over-the-counter remedies to help with symptom managent include nasal decongestants (phenylephrine, Sudafed), expectorants (Mucinex; which encourages patients to cough up chest congestion), antihistamines (Benadryl, Claritin, Zyrtec) lozenges for a sore thorat, and Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen to reduce fevers and provide general comfort.

Aspirin is generally avoided in children under 12 because of the risk for Reye's syndrome. Talk to your doctor before giving aspirin.

Juices, popsicles, and pedialyte are great sources of fluid for children who are picky eaters when they are sick. If your child is coughing up a lot of mucus though, milk, ice cream, chocolate, and other high-dairy products should be avoided as they cause an increase in mucus production.