Tips To Keep Your Kids Safe From The Omicron Variant

Schools are shutting down again as hospitals are getting high cases of young people with the recent and most commonly transmitted coronavirus variant, Omicron.

Amid the hustle and bustle of Omicron, there is an understandable concern among parents, especially with children under 5 who are unable to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. They wonder how they can enable a safe life with young children.

The stress among parents is obvious due to the unavailability of vaccines for children below 15 years of age in India.

Symptoms of Omicron in children

Cases of the new Omicron variant are on the rise worldwide. Symptoms of Omicron may vary from person to person, but in children- tiredness, body pain, high fever, sore throat, persistent cough, and headache are the common ones.

Here’s what parents and caregivers can do to protect their children:

1. Get them vaccinated if your children were born in 2007 or earlier (15 to 18 years old).
2. To keep kids safe and calm, ensure that they follow Covid-19 guidelines, social distancing, and keep sanitizing hands often.
3. Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth after touching disinfected surfaces. It will prevent you as well as your children from getting infected.
4. Try to give your children a balanced diet that includes immunity-boosting foods.
5. Please avoid foreign trips with your kids. In case of unavoidable travel during these unprecedented times, parents need to ensure they follow the Covid-19 protocols effectively.
6. Do not forget to get your children vaccinated for flu each year.
7. Do not take your children to crowded places.
8. It is also best to avoid social gatherings and parties with children.
9. Contact your doctor if you or your children experience symptoms such as sore throat, extreme tiredness, or muscle pain.
10. If you have any of these symptoms, you need to isolate yourself from your child.
11. Sanitize frequently touched surfaces such as taps, kitchen counter-tops, tables, chairs, doorknobs, and handles.
12. Stay aware of the latest updates and guidelines issued by the health department.

You as parents/caregivers will have to make sure you do things the right way because your children will imitate what they’ll see. Infants and toddlers are the world's best “copycats.” So, do not panic but be vigilant.

An update for you: