COVID-19 and your child’s health

We know that many parents and carers will be worried about COVID-19 – also known as coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 –particularly if your child has a long-term health condition. With the help of our child health specialists, we’ve created this page to share all the information, service updates and advice we have about COVID-19 and what it means for your child’s healthcare in one handy place.

We’re #InThisTogether and committed to making sure you have all the information you need to keep you and your family safe and well.

For the latest government guidance about COVID-19, please visit the dedicated Queensland Health and Australian Government web pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a new strain of coronavirus (now identified and officially named SARS-Cov-2). Some coronaviruses can cause illness similar to the common cold, while others can cause more serious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). SARS-CoV-2 causes a mild illness in many people, but in a minority of people it causes a severe respiratory and multi-organ disease.

What are the signs and symptoms?

Everyone who gets coronavirus (COVID-19) will experience it a little differently. Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

fever
cough
sore throat
fatigue
shortness of breath
runny nose
fatigue
diarrhoea
vomiting or nausea
loss of the sense of smell or taste.

Other symptoms people may experience include muscle or joint pain, and loss of appetite.

Who is most at risk of getting sick from COVID-19?

Based on what we currently know about coronaviruses, those most at risk of serious infection are:

elderly people
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (as they have higher rates of chronic illness)
people with chronic medical conditions

What about children with complex and/or chronic medical conditions?

As COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are still quite new, we are still learning about the impact it might have on children with complex and chronic medical conditions. However, there are encouraging reports that even children with serious underlying conditions will mostly only experience a mild illness with COVID-19. Severe complications in children are also uncommon. For the best advice for your child and their specific condition, speak to their specialist.

For more on COVID-19 and children, see the ‘Health Advice’ section on our Information for children, young people and families page.

Are there any restrictions on who can visit the Queensland Children’s Hospital?

In line with directions from the Queensland Chief Health Officer, visitor restrictions have been eased at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

On arrival at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, you will be asked a series of questions about your current health. We understand this may cause a short delay, but we appreciate your patience and support in helping us keep everyone in the hospital safe.

Visitors cannot enter the hospital if they:

are unwell
have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or asked to quarantine
have returned from overseas in the last 14 days (excluding safe travel zone countries)
have had contact with a person with COVID-19 in the last 14 days
have visited a COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days or since the hotspot was declared (whichever is shorter)
have been tested for COVID-19 and are waiting to receive the results
have COVID-19 symptoms of fever (37.5 degrees or more), cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of smell or taste, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or fatigue.

To help us maintain appropriate physical distancing in the hospital, we ask that you consider limiting the number of people (including siblings) accompanying your child to the hospital and/or visiting wherever possible.

Do I need to wear a mask when coming to the Queensland Children’s Hospital?

No. On the advice of the Chief Health Officer, patients, parents, carers, visitors and staff are no longer required to wear a mask while in the Queensland Children’s Hospital and Children’s Health Queensland facilities.

In some circumstances, you may be asked to wear a mask to help us keep everyone safe, like if your child is unwell and needs to be tested for COVID-19.

The best way to protect yourself and others is by:

practising social distancing, keeping two big steps between yourself and other people
cleaning your hands with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

Please note, it is not recommended that children under the age of two wear a mask at any time. Read more about how to safely wear a face mask for you and your family.

Who is currently being tested for COVID-19?

In Queensland, anyone who has fever (or history of fever) OR acute respiratory symptoms (cough, sore throat, shortness of breath) should be tested.

Children may also experience other symptoms, such as runny nose, headache, loss of smell, loss of taste, nausea or vomiting, muscle pain, joint pain, fatigue, diarrhoea, or a loss of appetite. Symptoms can vary depending on each case.

If your child has any symptoms, you can visit your nearest COVID-19 testing centre or ‘fever clinic’.

If you are unsure, or if your child has a sudden onset of any COVID-19 symptoms, you should contact your local doctor, hospital Emergency Department, or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).Before going to your GP clinic, please call ahead and tell them about your child’s symptoms so they can prepare for your visit.

If you’re visiting your local Emergency Department or Fever Clinic there is no need to call ahead.

What can my child do to stay safe at school?

The most important things your child can do to stay COVID-safe in school, as well as the wider community, are to wash their hands frequently (especially before eating), practise physical distancing with their friends and practise good respiratory hygiene (cover coughs and sneezes). If they are unwell, you should also keep them at home (and get them tested if they have any symptoms of COVID-19).

How often should my child be tested for COVID-19?

The Department of Health recommends that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, loss of sense of taste or smell) gets tested each time they develop these symptoms.

Are saliva tests available?

Saliva tests are not currently available in Queensland, and are still being evaluated for accuracy in adults. Children often find it difficult to produce saliva for tests however, and so this may not prove appropriate for children.

Is it safe for my child to attend school?

Schools are considered to be safe places for students at this time and present a low risk in relation to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).

Children’s Health Queensland recommends all families follow the Government advice about children attending school, unless a child has a chronic or complex health condition and have been advised by a specialist that they should remain at home. If you are concerned about your child, please contact their specialist or GP.

For the latest school-related information, read these frequently asked questions

How does COVID-19 spread and how can I catch it?

The SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus spreads between people, usually when a sick person coughs or sneezes. You might catch novel coronavirus (COVID-19) if someone with the virus sneezes or coughs onto you. You could also catch the virus if they have coughed or sneezed onto a surface (like a door handle) that you touch, getting the droplets on your hands and then transferring them to your mouth, nose or eyes when you touch your face or eat. Worldwide, most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have caught the virus from another sick person that lives in their household. This is particularly true for children, in most cases children have caught the virus from an adult within their household who has SARS-Cov-2.

How is it treated?

There is no specific treatment for COVID-19 infection. Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections. However, most of the symptoms can be treated with medical care.

There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus).

What should I do if I think my child might have some symptoms of COVID-19?

If your child is unwell with fever, cough, sore throat, or shortness of breath, visit your nearest Fever Clinic for testing.

If you are unsure if your child has symptoms of COVID-19, or if your child has a sudden onset of any COVID-19 symptoms, you should contact your local GP, hospital Emergency Department, or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

Before attending a GP clinic, it is important to phone ahead so they can make appropriate preparations for your visit.

Can I continue to breastfeed if I have COVID-19?

Yes. If you want to breastfeed, this will be supported by your health care team. Breastmilk is best for almost all babies. Breastfeeding helps you and your baby bond together and it also helps protect your baby against infection.

Your decision to breastfeed may involve thinking about your baby’s health, how sick you are and whether you are well enough to care for your baby. Your healthcare team will discuss your individual circumstances and feeding options with you. For more information, read the COVID-19 and breastfeeding fact sheet.

What can I do to protect my family?

Practising good hand and respiratory hygiene is important to help protect you and your family.

Always remember to:

clean your hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubs. Ensure you wash your hands after going to the toilet or assisting your children to do so.
cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing
avoid contact with anyone who has cold-like symptoms
keep your children at home from school or childcare if they are unwell
try to stay at least 1.5 metres away from people coughing or sneezing
if you or your child are unwell, avoid sharing utensils, cups and glasses.

Is it safe to visit the Queensland Children’s Hospital?

Yes, it is safe to attend the Queensland Children’s Hospital whether it’s through the Emergency Department or for an appointment or planned admission. We have precautions in place to protect all visitors to the hospital and are ready and prepared to respond to COVID-19 presentations.

To ensure we continue to keep everyone safe at the hospital during the pandemic, it’s important to maintain physical distancing and other basic precautions. This includes:

washing your hands regularly and use the hand sanitiser located at the hospital entrances, on most counters, ward entries as well as outpatients and emergency department
covering coughs and sneezes
keeping a distance of two big steps between yourself and other people.

Are outpatient appointments going ahead?

We have made some changes to the way some outpatient appointments are offered at the Queensland Children’s Hospital and our community sites during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes conducting more appointments via phone and teleconferencing.

If there are any changes to your child’s outpatient appointment, we will contact you directly.

If you have any queries about your child’s outpatient appointment, please call the Children’s Health Queensland Outpatient Call Centre on 1300 762 831.

Are elective surgeries going ahead at the Queensland Children’s Hospital?

All surgeries are proceeding as normal at this time.

If you have any queries about your child’s surgery, please contact our Elective Surgery Bookings Office on 07 3068 1125.

I’m currently experiencing financial difficulty. Is there parking assistance available for the Queensland Children’s Hospital?

We understand that many of our families will be impacted financially by the necessary COVID-19 restrictions imposed on small businesses, retail, hospitality and other industries. Please visit our Patient and Family Transport Hub on Level 6 of the hospital to see if you may be eligible for concessional parking assistance.

I’ve seen media reports about an inflammatory syndrome hospitalising children with COVID-19. Should I be worried about my child?

Our paediatric specialists are aware of a type of inflammatory syndrome affecting small numbers of children infected with SARS-CoV-2. This syndrome is called Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome – Temporally Associated with SARS-CoV-2 (or PIMS-TS). It has some features that are similar to other rare auto-inflammation diseases, such as Kawasaki disease.

Our infectious diseases specialists are working closely with the Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network on hospital-based surveillance across Australia and will continue to provide information and advice for families as it becomes available.

PIMS-TS is an extremely uncommon disease and parents should be assured that there have been very few cases of COVID-19 in children and no cases of PIMS-TS in Queensland. If your child is unwell and you are worried about their condition, you should seek help from a health professional.

More FAQs
Less FAQs

If you have specific questions about COVID19 and your family, please email COVIDquestions@health.qld.gov.au.

Children’s Health Queensland

Queensland Children’s Hospital

Research and education