GREEN BAY, Wis. — It's that time of year when children start to get runny noses. But does the seemingly simple symptom warrant staying home from school and getting a COVID-19 test?
According to Aurora Health pediatrician Dr. Donald Beno, it's "yes" to both. Many children presenting with some congestion and a scratchy throat have later tested positive for the coronavirus.
"Unfortunately the illness seems to be a bit of a chameleon. It changes symptoms depending upon the person," Beno said.
He said some kids will get the classic high fever, cough, body aches and congestion. Others may have signs of a stomach virus such as vomiting and diarrhea.
No matter what the symptoms are, or how mild they present, health professionals emphasized testing for COVID-19.
"Remember COVID-19, especially the delta variant, is extremely transmissible," Beno said. "That's why up to 29% of people with active COVID right now are in children's ages."
Beno told us most of the children's hospitals in Wisconsin are seeing a dramatic increase in admissions. Children's Wisconsin also released a COVID-19 trends report showing a "concerning" steady rise in COVID-19 adolescent cases.
"Twenty-nine percent of all the cases of COVID-19 are in school-aged children. Kids from 4 to 18. And so they are definitely getting sick. We're seeing more and more kids that unfortunately may get sick severely enough to be hospitalized."
Beno also highlighted the importance of protecting those around us, citing it as another reason to get tested. DHS tracks weekly and cumulative COVID-19 case numbers by age group, showing how these numbers look across the state. Their numbers say the same: mitigation is crucial.
"We don't know if the person sitting next to our child at school has cancer or maybe their family has a person with an immune system issue," Beno said.