As school reopens, an Orlando pediatrician says parents should ask their children about their school day for a whole different set of reasons during the coronavirus pandemic.
At a hospital briefing on Thursday, Dr. Michael Keating, a pediatric specialist with AdventHealth, advises parents to ask their kids about how the other students and teachers are doing when it comes to wearing facial coverings and social distancing.
“And if the other children and the teachers aren’t doing the right things, you need to reconsider your situation, your decision,” Keating says.
Keating recommends parents closely monitor children for coronavirus symptoms like a dry cough and fever, and lesser known ones such as pink eye and a skin rash.
AdventHealth Morning Briefing - August 13, 2020 https://t.co/Bs0JAQXd9w
— AdventHealth Central Florida (@AdventHealthCFL) August 13, 2020
“The pink eye and something like a rash that a parent might think was a chickenpox or maybe a measles, for example, that’s something you need to be careful about because there are the more serious variants of COVID-19 in children that can get skin manifestations or get conjunctivitis,” he says.
Keating says if children have these symptoms, parents and guardians should check with their pediatrician and get them tested.
He cautions families that kids can act as carriers of the virus to higher-risk teachers, older relatives or those with pre-existing conditions.
