Local // Houston
Houston Chronicle
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about children and the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
Q: How does the new coronavirus attack the body?
A: Once the virus enters your body through the ears, nose or eyes, it attaches itself to a “door” on the cells of the respiratory system, said Pedro Piedra, a professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine.
Ridges on the virus allow it to hook onto a cell, and the coronavirus fuses itself inside. Then, the coronavirus takes over. It kidnaps the cell and directs the body to replicate the virus, Piedra said.
The coronavirus itself can cause enough direct injuries to the body that it causes in an infection in the lungs, destroying itself and damaging the organ. The immune system can also become overzealous in fighting the virus, causing more destruction in the respiratory tract.
Q: What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
A: In most patients, people see symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath. In the worst cases, patients can develop pneumonia in both lungs and multi-organ failure, according to the CDC.
Other symptoms include muscle aches, fatigue, sore throat, chills, headache, runny nose, abdominal pain/discomfort, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, according to Texas Health and Human Services. Symptoms appear 2-14 days after exposure.
If you are generally in good health and get sick, you should stay home and manage your symptoms. Call your doctor only if symptoms get worse.
Q: How can I protect my baby or toddler from the new coronavirus?
A: COVID-19 seems to be much milder in children than in adults, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. But children can still catch and spread the virus like anyone else, so it’s best to keep your child away from crowds and not put them in situations where they could break social distancing rules.
Clean the surfaces in your home frequently, launder their clothes and plush toys, teach them to wash their hands properly, and make sure they stay away from people who are sick, the CDC advises. If your child is at an age where they don’t understand the situation and can’t keep their hands out of their mouth and face, it’s especially important to disinfect your home and their toys often.
Q: Is there less of a COVID-19 risk in children than adults?
A: The data shows COVID-19 doesn’t infect children as often or cause them near as severe illness as it does adults. But pediatric cases are rising, and the extent to which children who have the disease, especially those without symptoms, transmit it to others remains unknown.
Q: What is Texas’ guidance for reopening schools?
A: Guidance released last week indicated school districts could only remain shuttered and virtual-only for three weeks after their start, provided all students had at-home access to a computer and internet. Any longer than three weeks they lose state funding. But Gov. Greg Abbott hinted Tuesday that he plans to give schools more latitude.
Houston ISD plans to delay the start of its school year until Sept. 8, and remain in online-only classes for at least the first six weeks of school, keeping students and teachers home during that time, district officials announded Wednesday.
Q: What about other localities?
A: Health authorities in several counties and cities have ordered that public and private campuses in their jurisdictions remain closed through at least Labor Day. They include Travis County, home to the city of Austin; El Paso County; Hidalgo County, the Rio Grande Valley’s largest county; and Cameron County, the Valley’s second-largest county. Public school districts in those regions still can offer virtual-only instruction and receive state funding for instruction provided during that time.
Q: Are there precedents of countries reopening schools?
A: More than 20 countries have reopened, some with strict restrictions and others without restrictions. Outbreaks have followed in some countries but not in others. None of the countries that have reopened has had anywhere the amount of spread currently occurring in the United States.
Q: Do Texas day care centers portend anything for schools?
A: Day care providers have adapted to new safety measures, but COVID-19 cases have risen dramatically in the last month. Since March, there have been nearly 2,000 cases at child care centers, up from just a few hundred a month ago. About two-thirds of those are staffers, one-third children.