It's inevitable that when kids mix — returning from camp or heading back to school — germs spread. And in a pandemic year fueled by the delta variant, some of those germs may cause COVID-19. The CDC's advice for keeping your child protected from this highly contagious version of the coronavirus now and this fall: Mask up in schools and other crowded venues. And make sure everyone age 12 and older in the family gets a COVID-19 shot. But what if your kids are younger than that? What if they develop symptoms, or come into contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19? Rules for testing and quarantining vary from place to place, so we asked several public health experts — all parents — about their personal strategies for keeping their kids and families safe these days. Keep them home and consult the pediatrician."This happened to us [recently], for camp," says Seema Lakdawala, a virologist who studies flu transmission at the University of Pittsburgh. She has two daughters, ages 5 and 8. "My [8-year-old] daughter woke up and was sneezing and had a runny nose."She kept her daughter home and then called the pediatrician to talk through her symptoms. The likely culprit was allergies, the doctor told her; the child has known allergies to grass pollen, and it's already hay fever season where she lives. Sure enough, when Lakdawala gave her daughter allergy medication, her symptoms resolved. The key, says Lakdawala, is that her daughter had no known exposures to COVID-19. "If we had been on a plane recently, or otherwise traveling, then I would definitely want to get her tested for COVID," the mom says. Test for COVID-19, when warranted. Ahead of those sniffles, while everyone's healthy, figure out where your child and others in your home can get PCR-tested for the coronavirus on short notice with quick results. "Our pediatrician's office, like many pediatric clinics, has walk-in hours for children who are sick," says Dr. Cassandra Pierre, medical director of public health programs at Boston Medical Center and a parent of 3-year-old twins. "Those hours are in the morning, which means my child could get tested and, hopefully, get the results in the same day."Keep your child at home until those test results come back. Another option is to purchase some over-the-counter, rapid antigen tests from the pharmacy now and keep them in your medicine cabinet for a time when you might need them, says Gigi Gronvall, an immunologist and researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. She has two kids, ages 11 and 14. These swab tests are less sensitive than PCR tests (so might miss very minor infections). But they're quick, easy to use, and considered to be fairly accurate in people who are actively sick. "They certainly provide peace of mind, especially if they're symptomatic," Gronvall says. Even if those symptoms turn out to be "just a cold," try not to spread it.


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