Parent Guide to COVID-19
Information for Parents in Orlando for dealing with COVID-19
The highly trained pediatricians, at Pediatrics of Greater Orlando, have provided helpful resources to help you and your family stay informed about COVID-19. We understand that this is a difficult time and we are dedicated to helping you and your family stay safe and healthy. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact our office at (407) 704-6912 today!
What is COVID-19?
COVID-19 (caused by a virus called SARS CoV-2) is a zoonotic disease that was first detected in China’s Hubei province in late November 2019. Symptoms are lower respiratory tract-related, with cough, achy muscles, and fever – and only rarely involve upper respiratory (runny nose) symptoms.
What Do We Currently Know About the Disease?
Since it is a new disease, a few statistics have been collected. Healthy children and young people tend to have only had mild symptoms. On average, though, 80% of people will have no symptoms, or only mild illness. Many times they will go about their lives unknowingly spreading the virus to others. The table shown at this site is adjusted by age.
It illustrates how the mortality from this illness is very heavily weighted to the right side of the age range of confirmed cases. This includes both completely healthy people and those with chronic medical conditions that place them at very high risk for complications. Elderly people will tend to have more serious illness, so we would encourage them to only venture out if it is absolutely necessary, and to limit contact with their grandchildren who may carry the illness without exhibiting symptoms.
The Florida DOH has asked us on to test people that meet specific criteria, namely people with cough, fever, shortness of breath and history of travel in the past month to a hot zone in China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, or Japan. We have asked LabCorp and Quest to send us a few testing kits while we see where this is headed. Testing kits are being obtained from Quest and LabCorp.
What Should I Do If I Suspect My Child Has COVID-19?
If your child has only mild symptoms (mild cough and low grade fever), and do not know if you have COVID-19, you should try to stay at home for at least the first seven days. If your symptoms worsen, seek medical care, and alert your primary care provider. They may test you for COVID-19 at that time. Absolutely avoid visiting elderly people, nursing homes, hospitals, consider yourself contagious to others, and avoid unnecessary visits to large gatherings, or enclosed areas with multiple people.
What Additional COVID-19 Resources Are Available?
AdventHealth has done a fantastic job setting up a COVID-19 Information Hotline at 1-877-VIRUSHQ (1-877-847-8747), and they have developed a curbside COVID-19 testing system through three CentraCare locations located along the I-4 corridor: AdventHealth Centra Care Orange City, AdventHealth Centra Care Lee Road, and AdventHealth Centra Care Lake Buena Vista. As of the publishing of this update, we have had no cases of COVID-19 in our practice.
The FL Dept of Health has a COVID-19 hotline as well, at 1-866-779-6121, and an email you can use for information: COVID-19@flhealth.gov
