Does My Kid Have COVID-19 or Just a Cold? A Pediatric Nurse Explains How to Tell – and Why It Matters

Does my kid have COVID‑19 or just a cold? A pediatric nurse explains how to tell—and why it matters

Fall and winter mark the peak season for common respiratory infections such as COVID-19; respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV; influenza, better known as the flu; and the common cold. These illnesses often begin with symptoms that look very similar, so telling them apart can be tricky—especially when the beginning of cold and flu season in the fall can be the tail end of summer seasonal allergies.

Does my kid have COVID-19 or just a cold? A pediatric nurse explains how to tell – and why it matters

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Does my kid have COVID-19 or just a cold? A pediatric nurse explains how to tell – and why it matters

Keeping children home from school if they have COVID-19 protects family and school community members at high risk of serious illness.

Does my kid have COVID‑19 or just a cold? A pediatric nurse explains how to tell – and why it matters

by Ann Sheehan, Michigan State University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Fall and winter mark the peak season for common respiratory infections such as COVID-19;...