Home treatment guide for children with Covid-19

The Ministry of Health has just issued "Guidelines for home care for children with Covid-19".

According to this guide, necessary items and medicines to care for children with Covid-19 at home include a thermometer; personal SpO2 meter (if available); medical masks; hand hygiene equipment; necessary personal items; and a covered container for infectious waste.

Home remedies include: 1- Fever reducer: Paracetamol (powder packet or granules for oral suspension or tablets of 80mg, 100mg, 150mg or 250mg, enough for 5-7 days); 2- Electrolyte balancing medicine: Oresol, rehydration packets, other electrolytes; 3- Cough suppressant (preferably herbal medicines), enough for 5-7 days; 4- Nasal drops: Sodium chloride 0.9%, enough for 5-7 days; 5- Medicine to treat underlying diseases (if necessary, enough for 1-2 weeks).

Also according to the Ministry of Health's instructions, it is necessary to create a separate isolation space for children, especially when they are able to take care of themselves. The isolation place must be airy, do not use central air conditioning, and always keep the windows open.

Wear a mask:children with Covid-19 (for children ≥ 2 years old), caregivers, family members and children ≥ 2 years old. Keep a minimum distance of 2m between children with Covid-19 and other people if possible.

The number of Covid-19 infections, especially among children in Nghe An, continues to increase. Photo: TH

For children under 5 years old:Monitor mental signs, count breathing rate, pulse, measure SpO2 (if there is a meter), feeding/feeding, measure body temperature at least twice a day, skin color, mucous membranes, digestive disorders.

Parents need to monitor for unusual symptoms. If any of the following signs appear, notify medical staff or take the child to the nearest medical facility for examination and treatment:

- Mental: Children are fussy, do not want to play, do not listen to stories or are lethargic and have convulsions.

- Continuous high fever >39 degrees Celsius and difficulty in lowering body temperature by methods such as using antipyretics + applying/wiping the body with warm water; or fever does not improve after 48 hours.

- Children breathe faster than their age: Children < 2 months old when breathing ≥ 60 times/minute; children from 2 months to < 12 months old when breathing ≥ 50 times/minute; children from 12 months to < 5 years old when breathing ≥ 40 times/minute.

- Abnormal breathing in children: Difficulty breathing, flaring nostrils, retracted sternum, intercostal muscles...; signs of dehydration: dry lips, sunken eyes, thirst, little urine...; cyanosis.

- SpO2 < 96% (if there is a SpO2 meter); vomiting everything; the child cannot breastfeed or cannot eat or drink; the child has other diseases such as dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease...; any unstable condition of the child that requires emergency care.

For children 5 years and older:Parents need to monitor the following signs: mental state, counting breathing rate, pulse, measuring SpO2 (if there is a measuring device), measuring body temperature at least twice a day, skin color, mucous membranes, eating and drinking, chest pain, abdominal pain, digestive disorders, loss of smell and hearing.

Abnormal symptoms require reporting to medical staff or taking the child to the nearest medical facility for examination and treatment when any of the following signs appear:

Feeling of difficulty breathing; persistent cough; inability to eat/drink; high fever that does not subside or does not improve after 48 hours; vomiting everything; chest pain; diarrhea; child is tired, not playing; SpO2 < 96% (if there is a SpO2 meter); rapid breathing: Breathing rate of children from 5 to under 12 years old: ≥ 30 times/minute, children from 12 years old: ≥ 20 times/minute; abnormal breathing: sternum retraction, intercostal retraction...; any unstable condition of the child that requires emergency care.

Families with children infected with Covid-19 who are being cared for at home need to have the phone number of medical facilities (health stations, district health centers, emergency transport centers, doctors, community counseling teams, rapid response teams, etc.) to contact and handle emergencies.