Children Coughing and Cold in the Middle of High Omicron Cases, When is a PCR Test Needed?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Cough and cold in children is common. However, if you have a cold cough in the midst of a pandemic, especially during a wave of COVID-19 cases, Omicron being high, of course, makes parents wonder whether they are sick or infected with COVID-19.

To uphold the status of COVID-19 is of course necessary with PCR test which is golden standard. If your child often goes out of the house such as school or plays with neighbors, and there are people at home who are at great risk if exposed to COVID-19, you should immediately swab.

“In a pandemic situation, especially when children interact a lot with many people, including there are high-risk people (elderly, have comorbidities, and have not been vaccinated) if they have a cold, they must have a PCR test,” said a member of the UKK Respirology Task Force for the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (Indonesian Pediatrician Association). IDAI) Nastiti Kaswandani.

There are many triggers for a person to experience a cough and cold which is the body’s response that appears when there are bacteria and viruses that cause symptoms of acute respiratory infections (ARI). Therefore, establishing a diagnosis is also necessary because the spectrum of symptoms of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 varies from those with symptoms to those experiencing shortness of breath due to acute pneumonia.

“So it’s best to do a PCR test to rule out the possibility that the cough is not due to COVID-19,” said Nastiti on Instagram Live on the IDAI account written Sunday, February 27, 2022.

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