When Should Your Child Be Tested for COVID-19? 


As the number of cases increase in Tarrant County, there are more chances to be exposed to COVID-19, but when should your child get tested?

Take a look to see when to get your child tested and why a negative result doesn’t always mean you are in the clear.

If you are concerned your child was exposed to COVID-19, please give us a call at 817-484-6610.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Symptoms of COVID-19 can appear anywhere from 2-14 days after exposure. Someone with the following symptoms may have COVID-19:

  • a fever over 100.4 degrees F
  • shortness of breath
  • a cough
  • chills
  • muscle pain
  • headache
  • sore throat
  • new loss of taste or smell
  • congestion or runny nose
  • nausea or vomiting
  • diarrhea

Click on the following resources for more information about caring for symptoms of COVID-19.

Please call us if you have any questions or concerns about your child.

 

Exposure and Testing Guidelines

For children who have had close contact:

Close Contact is defined as a distance of less than 6 feet for a total of at least 15 minutes over a 24 hour period with a person who has a laboratory-confirmed or probable case of COVID-19. Close contact can occur beginning at 2 days before symptoms appear.

  • Not Showing Symptoms:
    • Quarantine
    • Wait until at least 4 days after exposure to get tested.
  • Showing Symptoms:
    • Get tested
    • or
    • Quarantine until at least 10 days after symptoms first appeared, and child has not had a fever for 24 hours.

Quarantine

If your child is exposed to someone with COVID-19 and they are not showing symptoms, the most important thing is to quarantine in order to stop the spread.

Since the incubation period for symptoms to appear is 2 to 14 days, a negative test too early after exposure doesn’t mean your child won’t get a positive result later. Therefore, it is important to adhere to the CDC quarantine guidelines in order to limit the spread to vulnerable family and friends.

A negative test does not make it “safe” to return to activity and does not eliminate the need for masking, social distancing, and quarantining as appropriate.

By working together we can get through this! We’re here to help keep your kids happy, healthy, and strong!

Please call us at 817-484-6610 for questions or appointments.