The most commonly identified symptoms in children appear to be: fever, cough, sore throat, sneezing, myalgia, fatigue, and pharyngeal erythema. Other symptoms include: diarrhea, rhinorrhea, and vomiting. A proportion of children who were admitted to the hospital displayed tachypnoea (28.7%)  and tachycardia (42.1%)  upon admission. 

Syracuse University

Hamilton College

As of March 16th 2020, only 5% of the 4226 US cases were children. Children accounted for only 1% of all hospitalizations. Children appear to have an incubation period of 2 days (with a range of 2-10). Disease appears to be milder in children than adults, with better prognoses and lower mortality rates. 

- Symptoms 
- Disease severity 
- Signs 

Systematic review of COVID-19 in children shows milder cases and a better prognosis than adults 

As of July 9, 020, the CDC has warned that people look for the following emergency warning signs for COVID-19 that need medical attention:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face

Symptoms that Call for Medical Attention

Ludvigsson, J. F. (2020). Systematic review of COVID‐19 in children shows milder cases and a better prognosis than adults. Acta Paediatrica, 109(6), 1088-1095.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apa.15270

Symptoms of COVID-19 in Children

There has not been much research on laboratory markers for children with COVID-19, however, one study found that 69.2% of the children presented normal leucocyte counts and that neutrophilia (4.6%) and neutropenia (6.0%) was rarely presented. Increases in C-reactive protein (13.6%)  and procalcitonin (10.6%) were also identified with some children, along with lymphocytopenia in 3.5% of children. COVID-19 in children has a similar clinical spectrum to influenza. 

Signs of COVID-19 in Children

In a study of 2143 children who were diagnosed clinically or through laboratory verified testing, over 90% had asymptomatic, mild, or moderate COVID-19. 5.2% presented with severe disease, and 0.6% presented with critical disease. Severe and critical disease was presented differently across age distributions: 10.6% for children under the age of 1, 7.3% for children between 1 and 5 years, 4.2% for children between 6 and 10, 4.1% for children between 11 and 15, and 3.0% for children between 16 and 17. 

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