Be Vigilant: One Common Childhood Malady Could Actually Be COVID-19

Parents are familiar with the sound—a barking cough emanating from their young child that they’re probably inclined to dismiss as “just croup.” Maybe they’ll call to see how soon the pediatrician can fit them in or even wait a day or two to see if it subsides. Now, though, there’s evidence that a croup-like cough could actually be a sign of COVID-19 infection in children under 5 years of age, according to an article just published by MedPage Today. With the rise of the Omicron variant overlapping with an increase in physician visits and hospitalizations for COVID-19 in children who are too young to be vaccinated, physicians quoted in the article report that the barking-type cough is a common complaint in children who wind up being diagnosed with COVID. Take this into consideration when parents bring in children with a self-diagnosed case of “croup” and be prepared to test accordingly.