Reducing coronavirus risks for younger kids

We’ve all heard how COVID-19 affects mostly older people and isn’t very dangerous to children. It is true that children tend to experience milder symptoms. There is, however, a higher risk for serious symptoms of COVID-19 in younger children with underlying health conditions, such as respiratory conditions and diabetes.

Pediatric Partners of Augusta urges children to follow the same guidelines as adults, including proper handwashing technique and social distancing.

Children should wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds throughout the day, especially before eating. The proper hand washing temperature is not as important as using soap. As long as your children use soap, cold water is just as effective as hot water.

A common question we get: Is hand sanitizer as effective as washing my younger children’s hands during this COVID-19 Pandemic? The Food and Drug Administration says the most effective way to reduce the risk of getting sick is by properly washing hands, but if soap is not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol are effective.

Social distancing – avoiding groups and staying 6 feet away from other people – is a known method for reducing coronavirus risks for younger kids and adults. The problem is that kids are, in general, social and enjoy activities with other children, especially with school being out for the summer.

So, what are social distancing activities for kids?

CSRAKids.com has collected a variety of stay-at-home and social distance activities for kids, including virtual birthday party ideas and an Augusta GreenJackets outdoor scavenger hunt.

There are lots of activities children can do outside to get exercise and have some fun while maintaining social distancing. Here are a few sources to inspire some ideas:

  • healthychildren.org suggests simple outside fun such as riding bicycles with family and playing in the mud.
  • asphaltgreen.org has a big list of activities broken down by age ranges.
  • parade.com offers 125 activities to keep kids entertained.
  • strong4life.com suggests some dance therapy.

We now have three locations to better serve our patients. The Evans office is at 411 Town Park Blvd.; the downtown Augusta office is at 1303 D’Antignac Street, Suite 2600; and the new Grovetown office is at 5135 Wrightsboro Road. For more information about Pediatric Partners, please feel free to call the office at 706-854-2500, visit PedPartners.com, or follow the Pediatric Partners of Augusta Facebook page.