Doctors suggest quick observation and early prescription are critical for infants and toddlers who are asymptomatic. 

According to doctors, determining the symptoms of Covid-19 in infants or toddlers proves to be difficult for parents due to their lack of communication skills. Still, it is vital to observe possible emergencies for parents.

During telephone consultations with a doctor, communicating the symptoms and conditions of infants is critical in order to provide appropriate medication and support.

The number of COVID-19 patients for children and infants has been steadily increasing over the past few months, and this increase can be attributed to the fact that parents still have difficulty coping with their children's symptoms due to the fact that effective communication cannot occur.

520,000 of the confirmed cases of  COVID-19 were reported to be under the age of 18, and about 60,000 of them were confirmed to be infants and toddlers last month.

Due to the number of confirmed cases doubling every week, parents of uninfected children are also worried about what to do when their children are infected.

As this number suddenly increased and as hospital beds and doctors became scarce, the government decided to change to a complete at-home treatment system.

According to an interview with Dr. Song, a pediatrician in Seoul, 60% of applicants for night emergency beds are infants and toddlers.

He also expressed that some of the symptoms in COVID-19 infant patients become highly serious at later hours in the night.

Therefore, it is necessary to prescribe medicine during the day to prevent the condition from worsening at night. These early measures by parents can reduce the number of late-night visits to the emergency room.

Additionally, young infants and toddlers are not yet vaccinated, directly affecting the infection rate. 

Despite the number doubling every week, there are not enough hospitals across the country to take care of infants and toddlers.

Symptoms of the omicron strain are known to be mild, but this strain of the virus is also an infection that parents, particularly of infants aged 0-3 years, should self-consciously manage.

The increase in confirmed cases may be a terrible reality for many parents, but doctors have been dealing with it for years.

Although this can be difficult for everyone, following the instructions of medical professionals will be the most appropriate way to overcome time.

Erica Minyoung Song

Grade 9

Chadwick International School