30 Measures to Protect Children from Coronavirus Infection

 

01.Keep a social distance of over 1 meter.

 

02.Do not take children to crowded or enclosed places where there is long time exposure to others.

 

03.Ensure good ventilation when staying indoors for a long period, especially during winter in North China. The ventilation should be done while children are not in the room to protect them from the cold. 

 

04.Avoid touching surfaces in public places.

 

05.Develop good exercise habits and do some children-appropriate exercises at home to enhance health. 

 

06.Cover the mouth and nose with a curled elbow or tissues while coughing and sneezing. Throw the used tissues immediately into enclosed dustbins and wash hands with water or alcohol-based sanitizer.

 

07.Receive COVID-19 vaccination, which can effectively prevent severe symptoms in children above 3 years old.

 

08.Separate infected family members from the children and wear masks at home.

 

09.Family members coming home from outside should wash their hands and face, get changed and disinfect cellphones and other items before getting close to the children.

 

10.Keep a regular schedule and ensure adequate sleep, 10 hours a day for infants and pupils, 9 hours for junior school students and 8 hours for senior high school students.

 

Infection with the novel coronavirus normally causes respiratory symptoms among most of the children, including fever, cough, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat etc. Some may undergo muscle soreness, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea, while a few of them may experience hoarseness and other manifestations of laryngitis, and even febrile convulsions.

 

Since most of the symptoms are self-limited, the treatment should mainly focus on relieving the children from discomfort.

 

11.For children with mild symptoms, no special treatment is needed other than sufficient rest and light diet; for infected infants, parents should pay close attention to their mental conditions and reactions, and seek medical treatment when they cry and refuse to eat.

 

12.Home-based medication is mainly used to relieve symptoms. When the children's temperature exceeds 38.5℃ or they have a history of convulsions, fever-reducing drugs should be given in time. The commonly used fever-reducing drugs include ibuprofen and acetaminophen. The dose should be adjusted according to the children's age and weight. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen should be given every four to six hours, and no more than four times in 24 hours.

 

13.Choose age-appropriate fever-reducing drugs for children and apply them in accordance with directions. For children over 6 months, ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be used. Acetaminophen can be prepared for children of 2 months to 6 months; such drugs are not recommended for children under 2 months, and medical care should be pursued in case of fever in this group.

 

14.When children are in fever, their parents should adjust the ambient room temperature and the children’s clothing to create a relatively cool and ventilated environment for them. 

 

15.Antipyretic drugs is mainly used to relieve the children from discomfort, rather than to reduce the temperature to normal level. Normally, the antipyretic medicine will have an effect after 0.5-1 hours, and lead to the drop of 1 to 2℃ of the body temperature.

 

16.Oral rehydration salts or other electrolyte-containing liquids are recommended if the children are eating less and sweating more.

 

17. Humidity in the house should be ensured to make the children feel comfortable.

 

18.Antibacterial drugs are used to treat bacterial infections, they have no antiviral effect and should not be used unless there is co-bacterial infection.

 

19.Once infected, the children should dine separately with their parents, and the tableware should be disinfected. After contacting with the children or their belongings, the parents should wash their hands. Parents and other guardians to the children should take protective measures and monitor their temperatures, if symptoms appear, they should quarantine themselves and get rest. 

 

20. Instead of being over anxious, parents should stay calm and take good care of the children.

 

21.Follow a balanced and diversified diet by eating 12 or more kinds of food a day and 25 or more kinds of food a week, including potatoes, vegetables and fruits, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, beans and nuts.

 

22.Eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, soybeans, dairy products, and cereals, ensuring a daily intake of 300~500 grams of vegetables, over half of which should be of dark color.

 

23.Take in proper amounts of fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat, avoid fat meat. 

 

24.Eat steamed or stewed foods rather than items that are fried or grilled. Follow a light diet with less oil and salt.

 

25.Drink more water, preferably plain water, rather than sugar containing beverages. The recommended amount of water for children of 6-10 years old is 1000ml a day, 1100-1300ml for children of 11-13 years old, and 1200-1400ml for children of 14-17 years old. Alcohol should be prohibited.

 

26.3 meals a day should be taken on time, with proper quantity and nutrition.

 

27.Take natural, fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy products and nuts as snacks.

 

28.Cut intake of less chips, spicy gluten（Latiao）, candy and other foods containing oil, salt and sugar.

 

29.Choose packaged foods with high-nutrition content, those of expired date or with no information on production date, quality certificate, or manufacturer should be avoided.