Boca Raton pediatrician: 'COVID-19 is not the flu'

Boca Raton pediatrician Dr. Chad Rudnick speaks with WPTV NewsChannel 5 to discuss common questions about children and COVID-19.

BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM.

WPTVNEWSCHANNEL FIVESAT DOWN WITH A LOCALPEDIATRICIAN TO ANSWER YOUBIGGEST QUESTIONS..TORY: AS PARENTS, WE HAVE SOMANY QUESTIONS ABOUT COVID ANDOUR KIDS.

I ASKED A LOCALPEDIATRICIAN TO ANSWER 5COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS FORYOU.

:40 WE ARE SEEINGCHILDREN WITH COVID (#1) DR.CHAD RUDNICK SAYS PERHAPS THENUMBER ONE QUESTION HE GETS&CAN AND ARE CHILDREN GETTINGCOVID?

:55 THE QUESTION THATCOMES UP FROM PARENTS IS -WELL WHAT WILL THAT LOOK LIKE?HOW SICK IS MY CHILD GOING TOBE OR HOW DO I KNOW IF THEYHAVE COVID?

THE ANSWER ISCOMPLICATED.

THE ANSWER&DR.RUDNICK SAYS& IT JUST DEPENDS.1:22 THE SYMPTOMS CAN RUN ON ASPECTRUM FROM VERY MILD TOVERY SEVERE.

NUMBER TWO& HOWDOES COVID-19 COMPARE TO THEFLU?

2:21 THE MOST IMPORTANTPOINT TO UNDERSTAND IS THIS ISNOT JUST THE FLU.

THATCOVID-19 IT CAN BE MUCH MORESEVERE THAN THE FLU IS.

HEPOINTS TO THE SPREAD EVEN WITHMEASURES IN PLACE LIKE MASKSAND SOCIAL DISTANCING.

2:50COVID19 IS NOT THE FLU.

IT ISA VERY SERIOUS VIRUS AND FOR ALOT OF PEOPLE, IT MAY NOT BE.BUT WE DONGOING TO BE NOT SERIOUS FORYOU, YOUR CHILD, OR FOR ANYONEELSE IN YOUR FAMILY CIRCLE.NUMBER 3&DO CHILDREN SPREADCOVID-19 TO ADULTS?

5:10 ITIMPORTANT TO NOTE CHILDREN ARENOT ZERO VECTORS, THEYABSOLUTELY CAN SPREAD THEVIRUS TO OTHERS.

HE SAYS THEYHAVE HAD CONFIRMEDTRANSMISSION FROM PRE SCHOOLAGED CHILDREN TO THEIRPARENTS.

4:15 WE HAVE SEENTHAT CHILDREN WHO ARE LESSTHAN AGE 10 - THEY SPREAD THEVIRUS LESS.

BUT ITTO NOTE THAT LESS DOES NOTMEAN ZERO.

BUTT: 4:50 FORCHILDREN OVER THE AGE OF 10,WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED IS THEYCAN SPREAD THE VIRUS LIKELYTHE SAME AS AN ADULT CAN DO.NUMBER 4&CHILDREN AND THEUPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.

IS ITSAFE FOR KIDS TO GO BACK TOSCHOOL?

5:45 AS APEDIATRICIAN, AS A FATHER, IAGREE CHILDREN SHOULD BE INSCHOOL.

BEING IN SCHOOL IS THEBEST WAY FOR THE MAJORITY OFCHILDREN TO LEARN BUT HE SAYSIT HAS TO BE DONE SAFELY WITHA DROP IN THE POSITIVITY RATE.7:05 WHEN WE SEE NUMBERS LIKETHAT, ITCASES LIKE THAT WILL COME INTOA SCHOOL.

WE WANT TO TRY TOAVOID THAT.

BUT UNTIL OURNUMBERS ARE DECREASING, WETHINK CHILDREN SHOULD STARTTHE YEAR ONLINE.

NUMBER5&.PLAY DATES?

ARE THEY SAFE?12:05 THE NUMBER THAT WE LOOKFOR IS LESS THAN 5 CHILDRENTOGETHER IN ONE AREA.

HE SAYSTHE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TODO IT WITH LIKE- MINDEDFAMILIES IN A SMALL GROUP.11:05 I THINK THATIMPORTANT THING IS TO KNOWTHAT YOU CAN TRUST THATFAMILY.

ALL IMPORTANTINFORMATION&BUT THE MOST HEBELIEVES IS PERHAPS& 3:50 WEKNOW ABSOLUTELY CHILDREN OFALL AGES CAN GET SICK FROM