With the current COVID-19 situation, Health Minister Mr. Ong Ye Kung revealed that the Omicron variant is more likely to infect children than the Delta variant. Among all the age groups in Singapore, children are contracting COVID-19 at the highest rate.
According to MOH on 16 Feb 2022, the infection rates for children aged 0 to 4 years and those aged 5 to 11 years are currently high at about 243 and 258 per 100,000 population respectively. Individuals aged 12 to 19 years have the highest infection rate of about 269 per 100,000 population.
Parents have found that it is challenging and frightening to self-isolate the kids, to ensure the rest of the family are “COVID-free”. Kids are usually too young to follow social distancing strictly, as they find that social distancing very isolating and may not necessarily understand needing to stay apart from family and friends.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19 in children?
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Fever
Less common symptoms:
- Muscle aches
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
What do I do if my child has these symptoms?
Monitor the child’s temperature and be vigilant. Let your child rest at home and ensure there is sufficient fluid intake. Avoid going outdoors.
Seek medical attention if symptoms persist for more than 5 days and there is no improvement. If your child has difficulty breathing, appears drowsy, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, bluish lips or face, has signs of dehydration or is peeing less than usual, bring him or her to see a doctor right away.
How can TCM help?
Most children have mild clinical manifestations and a good prognosis. When treating paediatric patients, relatively gentle traditional Chinese medicine treatment can be considered.
For fever and runny nose
Ingredients:
- 金银花 (Jin Yin Hua, Honeysuckle) 10g
- 连翘 (Lian Qiao, Forsythis suspena) 10g
- 荆芥 (Jing Jie, Schizonepeta) 10g
- 射干 (She Gan, Iris domestica) 10g
- 桔梗 (Jie Geng, Radix Platycodi) 10g
- 芦根 (Lu Gen, Phragmites communis) 15g
- 淡豆豉 (Dan Dou Chi, Glycine max) 10g
- 黄芩 (Huang Qin, Scutellaria baicalensis) 10g
- 板蓝根 (Ban Lan Gen, Isatis indigotica) 10g
- 玄参 (Xuan Shen, Radix Scrophulariae) 10g
- 甘草 (Gan Cao, Licorice Root) 6g
Instructions:
- Soak all the herbs in a pot of water for 30 minutes.
- Bring everything to a boil over medium heat.
- Cover the pot and let the water simmer for 15 mins under low heat.
- The herbal soup is ready for consumption. Drink it warm twice a day.
Paediatric Tuina
For sore throat and cough
Ingredients:
- 桑叶 (Sang Ye, Morus alba) 8g
- 菊花 (Ju Hua, Chrysanthemum) 3g
- 薄荷 (Bo He, Mentha haplocalyx) 2g
- 杏仁 (Xing Ren, Prunus armeniaca) 6g
- 芦根 (Lu Gen, Phragmites communis) 6g
- 桔梗 (Jie Geng, Radix Platycodi) 6g
- 连翘 (Lian Qiao, Forsythis suspena) 5g
- 甘草 (Gan Cao, Licorice Root) 2g
Instructions:
- Soak all the herbs in a pot of water for 30 minutes.
- Bring everything to a boil over medium heat.
- Cover the pot and let the water simmer for 15 mins under low heat.
- The herbal soup is ready for consumption. Drink it warm twice a day.
Paediatric Tuina
Most kids and teens who test positive for COVID-19 have mild, or even no, symptoms. But it has become clear that some are experiencing symptoms more than a month after they’ve been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Post-acute COVID syndrome - Fatigue
Ingredients:
- 防风 (Fang Feng, Saposhnikovia divaricata) 5g
- 黄芪 (Huang Qi, Radix Astragali) 5g
- 白术 (Bai Zhu, Rhizoma Atractylodis) 3g
Instructions:
- Soak all the herbs in a pot of water for 30 minutes.
- Bring everything to a boil over medium heat.
- Cover the pot and let the water simmer for 15 mins under low heat.
- The herbal soup is ready for consumption. Drink it warm twice a day.
Paediatric Tuina
Soup
Ingredients:
500g pork
黄芪 (Huang Qi, Radix Astragali) 10g
麦冬 (Mai Dong, Radix Ophiopogonis) 10g
太子参 (Tai Zi Shen, Radix Ginseng) 10g
5 cups of water
3 slices of ginger
1 scallion (finely chopped)
Salt and ground white pepper (to taste) on
Instructions:
- Blanch the pork bone.
- Add blanched pork bone, ginger, 黄芪 (Huang Qi, Radix Astragali), 麦冬 (Mai Dong, Radix Ophiopogonis) and 太子参 (Tai Zi Shen, Radix Ginseng) to a pot and fill with water.
- Bring the pot to a boil using high heat.
- Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, bring the soup back and season with salt and white pepper to taste.
- Soup is ready for consumption.