Covid complications

The elderly are considered as the group most vulnerable to complications of COVID-19. The reason is, many elderly people are already suffering from comorbidities and immune function decreases with age. However, according to a recent study in the United States, children infected with COVID-19 are also at risk of serious complications.

COVID-19 can lead to complications in the form of pneumonia, sepsis, and organ failure which can be fatal. Therefore, parents need to actively encourage their children to take preventive measures during a pandemic. Check out the following information to find out what steps you can take.

Complications of COVID-19 in children

Several scientists from Rutgers University, United States, examined the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric patients in North America. They looked at 48 patients, from newborns to 21 years of age, who were in intensive care at the PICU throughout March and April.

As many as 80% of patients have comorbid conditions such as diabetes, obesity, compromised immune system, seizures and chronic lung disease. Of these, about 40% have to rely on medical devices due to genetic disorders or developmental delays.

About 20% of COVID-19 patients experience vital organ failure as a result of complications, and nearly 40% of patients require a ventilator. At the end of the study period, 16 patients still had to be treated intensively in the hospital.

Of the 16 pediatric patients who are being treated intensively, three COVID-19 patients need ventilators and one patient needs to wear life support. Two patients were pronounced dead during the three weeks of the study.

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The research is a benchmark for scientists in understanding the complications of COVID-19 in children. Like adults, children sometimes have comorbid conditions that make them vulnerable to fatal complications.

This can be seen from the percentage of child deaths in the hospital in the study. Child deaths due to COVID-19 in the hospital's emergency department reached 4.2 percent, while deaths in adults reached 62 percent.

Previously, the impact of COVID-19 on children was rarely a major concern. The cases of COVID-19 in children do not seem too severe. There are also few reports of serious complications in pediatric patients.

In fact, this may be because the implementation of COVID-19 tests in children is not as frequent and frequent as adults. They may also show no symptoms so they are not suspected of being infected with COVID-19.

As an effort to anticipate, the United States will soon conduct a study entitled Human Epidemiology and Response to SARS-CoV-2 (HEROS) on 2,000 heads of families. This study is expected to help scientists further understand the impact of COVID-19 on children.

Tips to protect children from COVID-19

Explaining COVID-19 to children is not easy. Children may be anxious because the news about the pandemic seems endless. Parents may also have to repeatedly teach children the importance of hand hygiene.

In addition, not all children can quickly adapt to self-quarantine. There are children who are happy to be able to play more with their parents, but there are also children who are bored during quarantine at home.

The good news is, you can still protect children from the dangerous complications of COVID-19 by implementing the following simple steps:

1. Keeping yourself clean

Unlike adults, children are not sensitive to personal hygiene and their environment. They don't understand that her mother who just came home from the market might have brought the virus home.

So, everyone who wants to interact with children must make sure they are clean. Once home from outside, change into clean clothes and wash your hands before interacting with children. Don't forget to clean items at home regularly with disinfectants, especially those that your children often touch.

2. Start small

In order for children to understand the importance of preventing COVID-19, you must also implement the steps. Start by washing your hands regularly from outside, before eating, and after coughing, wiping your nose, or sneezing.

Show your little one how to cough and sneeze properly, either with a tissue or hand. When you have to leave the house, make sure your child wears a mask to protect him from the risk of contracting it.

3. Exemplify how to wash hands

Proper hand washing is for 20 seconds using running water and soap. However, this is not something that is easy for the child to remember. The best way to teach children to wash their hands is by giving direct examples.

Encourage the children to wash their hands while singing the song "Happy Birthday". This is the equivalent of washing your hands for 20 seconds. When washing your hands, teach them to rub their palms and fingers evenly.

4. Teach how social distancing

Children certainly wonder why their school is closed and they are not allowed to play with their friends. Try to explain to him that by staying at home he is doing his best to prevent the virus from spreading.

Encourage children to practice social distancing by imagining that there is a magic bicycle between himself and another person. It was an impassable distance. Also give understanding so that he does not salim or hug, and replace it by waving.

The impact of COVID-19 on children is as great as that of adults. Children are still at risk of contracting COVID-19, and can even develop dangerous complications. In situations like this, parents are the front line who can protect the child from these risks.