Coronavirus being totally harmless to children is a huge misconception

Some weeks after the active phase of the infection, patients develop an inflammation that attacks several organs. This state requires serious and intensive therapy, occasionally even ventilation, said Dr György Velkey, director-general of Bethesda Children’s Hospital to InfoRádio.

The doctor talked about the general situation in children’s hospitals, the fears these sick kids have, how the pandemic changed their lives, and how to explain this crazy situation and the importance of following the rules to little kids whose everyday routine was changed from one day to another.

Children need increased attention and care during a pandemic; primarily, their fears need to be paid attention to,

writes infostart.hu. Dr György Velkey says the fear of going to a hospital and having the possibility of catching the virus from each other is very high in the case of children as well. The hospital does everything they can to make them feel safe and taken care of. Of course, the first step is respecting basic measures such as wearing a mask properly, hand sanitation, and keeping the distance from each other, but properly ventilating areas plays an important role, too. Moreover, the Bethesda Hospital works with more staff on duty in order to decrease the waiting time. He says this measure proved to be successful as they can protect each other inside the hospital from transmitting the disease.

Since the first wave of the virus and the lockdown started, the number of playground accidents have changed significantly. The usual high number of these accidents around spring and autumn was very low this year, whereas smaller, at-home accidents, such as falling from a chair, a table, or smaller burns or scalds, happened much more often. The director-general mentioned that altogether, the number of accidents was lower this year since by keeping the distance, infections, in general, are less likely to be passed on. This, however, does not mean that the hospital staff has less work; it simply shows how the general lifestyle has changed these past months.

He goes on pointing out that the main children’s hospital treating young coronavirus patients is the Heim Pál Children’s Hospital in Budapest, which means that the Bethesda Hospital accepts children from all over the country in the case their local hospital is not able to tend to them. However, they also do have some coronavirus patients from time to time, depending on the kid, whether they have an underlying disease or had been treated there previously and doctors know them.

A common misconception is that the coronavirus is less dangerous to children, and its more serious variation is rare when it comes to them. However, there is a disease, an inflammation that attacks several organs at once, that appears a couple of weeks after the active phase of the infection, requiring particularly serious and intensive therapy that can result in the need of ventilation. He goes on to add that

Right now, we do have a patient who is doing much better at the moment, but in the past days, we had to fight for his life. We talk to colleagues in other facilities who mention that this case can happen from time to time in other, bigger emergency units as well.

It is not possible to prevent this phase, as in most cases, children do not show symptoms of the coronavirus, and only after the appearance of the inflammation can they tell that the virus had been the cause triggering it. Usually, these children feel a bit sick, have less energy, spend more time in bed, and maybe their limbs feel a bit colder. All these symptoms appear rather quickly. It is very important to take them to hospital at this point to avoid further consequences.

So, it is a misconception that the virus is totally harmless to children.

It is very important to know that kids are smart; they observe and detect all changes happening around them. We need to listen to them, to their fears and questions and answer them directly and with the truth. A hyperactive kid, for instance, will become more intense if he is locked inside. More sensitive children, on the other hand, can develop physical symptoms as they react to changes in the family and society. Especially in the case of teenagers, conflicts within the family can intensify that can affect both kids and parents mentally. As we wrote about it, these tensions intensifying can lead to physical abuse. So, it is extremely crucial to know that children, in general, require more attention and care during these times.

Read alsoHungarian hospitals ventilate coronavirus patients with the help of a snorkelling mask

Source: infostart.hu