{"id":6038,"date":"2021-05-19T22:07:23","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T22:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/s37407.p1377.sites.pressdns.com\/resources\/parent-safety-covid-19-symptoms\/"},"modified":"2021-05-19T22:07:23","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T22:07:23","slug":"parent-safety-covid-19-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/parent-safety-covid-19-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m a parent with COVID-19 symptoms: What should I do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With schools closing, mandatory quarantines and grocery stores running out of staples across the country, it’s a scary time to be a parent. We’ve got serious things to worry about: keeping our kids safe and secure, keeping our jobs and keeping our bathrooms stocked with toilet paper. We may not have even taken a moment to consider what will happen if we ourselves are infected with COVID-19<\/a>. <\/p>

As the spread of the virus escalates across the U.S., it seems increasingly likely that many of us will be infected. But that doesn’t mean we should panic. Dr. Manasa Mantravadi<\/a>, a pediatrician with Riley Children’s Health<\/a> in Indianapolis, offers a comforting reminder that, even if infected with COVID-19, most people’s symptoms will be completely manageable.  <\/p>

“Most cases will be mild in children and healthy adults without any other medical conditions,” Mantravadi says.<\/p>

So what should parents do if they start to feel under the weather or suspect they have COVID-19? Without child care assistance<\/a> from our typical caregivers — or even grandparents — to provide backup, infected parents may have no choice but to expose their children to sickness, simply by caring for them. Here’s what our expert suggests. <\/p>

If you have common cold symptoms:<\/h2>

The symptoms of a common cold<\/a> are generally mild and usually start with a sore throat, followed by a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing and sometimes fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — but you usually don’t get a fever or chills with a cold. <\/p>

“If you have common cold symptoms, but otherwise are feeling OK,” Mantravadi says, “do what you normally would do — get rest and plenty of fluids.”  <\/p>

If you have mild flu or COVID-19 symptoms:<\/h2>

According to the CDC, the common symptoms of COVID-19<\/a> include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, with symptoms typically appearing 2-14 days after exposure.<\/p>

When parents have mild symptoms (like a cough, sore throat, fatigue, headache), Mantravadi suggests isolation as a family unit. “However, since social distancing<\/a> is what we are recommending for everyone, this is not a big departure from what we should all be doing right now — staying home,” she says. <\/p>

If you feel sick or display mild symptoms, Mantravadi also recommends taking the following cautionary measures around your family:<\/p>