For easy reference, please see our document: My child did not pass the COVID-19 screening, now what? - revised October 8, 2020
If you notice that your child has new or worsening symptoms, what you do depends on the symptoms and how usual they are for your child. If your child has new or worsening:
- Fever/chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Decreased or loss of smell or taste
Your child should isolate immediately and you should visit an assessment centre for testing and/or seek medical advice, if required.
If your child has ONE new or worsening symptom (that is not related to a known cause or condition) that includes:
- Sore throat
- Stuffy nose/runny nose
- Headache
- Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
- Fatigue/lethargy/muscle aches/malaise
Your child should stay home for 24 hours to be monitored to see whether the symptom gets better or worse. If they start to feel better and symptom are improving, they can return to school/child care when well enough (and in accordance to school/child care policy) to do so and no COVID-19 testing is needed.
If the symptoms get worse, you should visit an assessment centre for testing and/or seek medical advice, if required.
If your child has TWO or MORE new or worsening symptoms (that are not related to a known cause or condition) that include:
- Sore throat
- Stuffy nose/runny nose
- Headache
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue/lethargy/muscle aches or malaise
Your child should isolate immediately and you should visit an assessment centre for testing and/or seek medical advice, if required.
Have your child tested at an assessment centre:
Testing for children may include the following depending on the assessment centre and the health care provider:
- Nasopharyngeal swab – a thin flexible swab is inserted into the nose to the back of the nose/throat (preferred and recommended method)
- Throat swab – a larger, sturdier swab is inserted into the mouth to the back of the throat/tonsils area (alternative testing method for children who cannot tolerate a nasopharyngeal swab)
If you choose not to have your child tested:
It is difficult for a health care provider to rule out COVID-19 without a test., If your child has not been given an alternate diagnosis and was not tested for COVID-19, they must begin a self-isolation period for minimum of 10 days from the start of their symptoms.
If you feel your child’s symptoms are related to another health condition, you will need to seek assessment their primary healthcare provider.
Children who are tested may be able to return to child care or school sooner than if they are not tested.
What this means for other members of your household:
All household members of the ill child will need to self-monitor for 14 days. They can continue to go to school or work, as long as they have not developed symptoms themselves, and as long as the ill child has not been diagnosed (i.e. tested positive) with COVID-19.