Snyder also warned parents to monitor symptoms, as “there is a unique syndrome with children called MIS that happens typically a few weeks after a child contracts COVID.” The CDC stresses that it is still possible for kids to contract a severe case of COVID-19 and become hospitalized. Dane Snyder, the chief of primary care pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, as one of the biggest “risk factors is that it could spread to someone else who has much higher risk.” Either way, if a child tests positive for COVID-19, they must still be cautious, said Dr. Children may have many symptoms or could be asymptomatic. How will I know if my child gets COVID-19?Īccording to the CDC, hospitalization rates due to COVID-19 are significantly lower in children than rates in adults with the illness. Nationally, RSV cases are trending downward, COVID-19 cases have risen 11% over the past two weeks, and flu cases are skyrocketing. Your local health department may have this data. In these cases, RSV can lead to a wider-range of symptoms, such as diarrhea.Ĭhecking which viruses are spreading most frequently in your community can also help determine which virus your child is sick with. Some experts have theorized that this is because they haven't been exposed to the virus before, as pandemic precautions kept infections at bay over the past two years. Historically, children older than 6 months who are not immunocompromised have been less likely to get severely ill from RSV, but the current surge has been sending toddlers and older children to the hospital. RSV symptoms usually take about four to six days, and the omicron variant of COVID takes three to four days. Influenza's incubation period can be as short as 24 hours (but is usually about two days), so if you feel under the weather the next day after a gathering, that's likely the flu. The length of time between exposure and symptoms appearing can also indicated one illness over another.

Here are experts' tips for figuring out whether it's the flu, COVID-19, the common cold or RSV as well as when to take a COVID-19 test and when it's time to call the doctor. So, with at least three respiratory viruses that cause similar symptoms circulating this fall and winter, it may be difficult to know which one you or your child have been infected by. And RSV is characterized by respiratory symptoms, like wheezing and rapid breathing in children, Torres said. In general, flu symptoms come on more quickly than those of RSV or COVID-19, he explained, while COVID-19 may come with a sore throat and loss of taste or smell. 'The hardest thing is distinguishing the three apart,' Torres said. John Torres shared these three differences among COVID, flu and RSV.

NBC News senior medical correspondent Dr. What's more, because RSV, COVID-19 and the flu cause similar symptoms, it can be challenging for parents to figure out which illness their child has - and when they should consider taking their kid to the doctor or even the hospital.

So far, 11 states are reporting that more than 80% of their hospitals are filled, according to an NBC News analysis. And this early surge in cases is already stressing hospital systems, TODAY reported previously.

Covid symptoms in kids or cold