A variety of brands on the market offer the convenience of testing for COVID-19 at home. These kits can be purchased at retail stores or online as an alternative to seeking out a testing site or busy healthcare provider for a COVID-19 test.

Alice Phillips, M.D., a Cook Children’s pediatrician, explains what parents need to know about the reliability, timing and results of the at-home COVID-19 testing options approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

First, if your child is running a fever: KEEP HIM OR HER HOME.

“Any illness with fever is likely contagious, and we don’t want to spread strep, flu or even colds,” Dr. Phillips said. “If your child feels great but with mild symptoms, at-home tests provide parents with the ability to quickly screen their kids.”

As a reminder, Dr. Phillips listed some common COVID-19 symptoms: cough, congestion, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, and potentially loss of smell or taste. However, not everyone infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus shows symptoms.

At-home rapid antigen tests look for the presence of proteins from the surface of the virus, she explained. These tests have reported ability to accurately detect disease in the 65-85% range in patients with symptoms, Dr. Phillips said. That falls to the 35-40% range if asymptomatic.

“Timing of the test is critical,” she said. “Sometimes testing too early in the illness could result in a false negative. This is why the kits include two tests.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers testing a critically important tool to help reduce the spread the disease. Those who have symptoms or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should be tested regardless of whether they’re vaccinated, according to the CDC. 

Type and price of at-home kits vary. Some tests require a nasal swab, while others require a saliva specimen. Antigen tests deliver results within about 15 minutes, while the more sensitive PCR test takes at least 24 hours.

The CDC website provides these tips:

• Check the expiration date. Don’t use if past-date or if the kit’s components appear damaged.
• Read the manufacturer’s instructions completely before opening the test devices.
• Clean the tabletop or surface where the test will take place. Wash your hands with soap.
• Follow the directions step by step. Otherwise, incorrect results can occur.

Dr. Phillips gives some guidance for what happens next.

The result is positive. “Believe it! I am sorry, but your child has COVID. No repeat test is needed. The good news is most kids have mild cases. Call your pediatrician for questions or perhaps set up a telemedicine visit to discuss treatment options and for your doctor to lay an eye on your kiddo in a safe way for all.”

The result is negative. Using the second test in the kit, repeat the test in 24-36 hours to confirm the finding. In the meantime “if your child has symptoms highly suspicious for COVID or fever, keep them home to help protect your community.”

The CDC points out that the results of at-home tests might come back inconclusive or invalid due to user error or a malfunction in the device. If that happens, the CDC recommends contacting the test manufacturer for assistance.

Accuracy depends in part on the quality of the nasal/saliva sample. Whether a child undergoes the test at a clinic or at home, the process of obtaining a specimen can be… interesting, in the words of Dr. Phillips.

“Have you ever wrestled an angry Tyrannosaurus Rex? This would be what it is like to push a swab up the nose of a 3-year-old with fever and cough.

“And then there is the teenager. Tired, grumpy and does not really want to go to school anyway. You eagerly describe to them that you are going to place a swab in their nose and rotate for 15 seconds on each side. Hmmm. Not a happy customer,” she described.

A positive result on an at-home COVID-19 test should be reported to the state or local health department. This helps officials to keep accurate information on transmission rates in the community. Click here to report for Tarrant County: COVID-19 (tarrantcounty.com

As COVID-19 continues to inundate our society, there arises the question of when to start the countdown clock of quarantine. Let’s say mom gets sick with COVID-19 and stays at home as she is supposed to. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines state children should avoid physical contact with the sick parent.

For children staying in the home of a sick parent, the CDC recommends:

• Both parent and child (over age 2) should wear a mask while in the same room

• Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds

• Try to stay six feet apart, if safe to do so

• Increase ventilation by opening a window

• Disinfect high touch surfaces (phones, remote controls, counters, table tops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, tablets, bedside tables, light switches) often

• Avoid sharing personal household items (dishes, cups, eating utensils, bedding, towels)

• Watch closely for any symptoms of COVID-19

Now let’s say dad has COVID-19, and his symptoms started seven days after mom became sick. What do you do about children returning to day care or school?

The CDC states anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 should stay home for 14 days after their last exposure to that person. What is not exactly specified is what to do if the COVID-19 positive parent and asymptomatic children are in constant contact in their own home. I recommend a safe watch and wait approach, practicing the above recommendations and if the child is still asymptomatic at the completion of 14 days after the parent’s 10 day isolation ended (which is a total of 24 days after the parent became ill or had a positive test), then they can resume day care and school attendance. The 14-day countdown would begin at the end of the most recent family member’s 10 day isolation period (in our scenario that would be dad’s). And as COVID-19 can slowly trickle through the household, this can be a month-long lockdown.

With any sick symptoms in your child following an exposure of COVID-19, they should see his or her pediatrician and get tested. If your child does test positive for COVID-19, they can be around others 10 days after symptoms first appeared, as long as their COVID-19 symptoms are improving and they have not had fever in 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

They’re now making face shields to be used by clinical staff at Cook Children’s who are caring for patients with COVID-19 symptoms.

“We looked at the situation we’re facing, in the community and internally, and thought this is a great opportunity for us to get engaged,” said Brady Gendke, Vice President of Operations at Cook Children’s Home Health. “Right now, we’re producing about 20 face shields a day, which will help with some of the more intense COVID-19 isolation procedures that our doctors and nurses will be doing.”

With the help of a high-powered 3-D printer, the team is assembling the shields by hand. They hope to produce up to 200, which will be distributed to doctors and nurses at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Since the shields are made entirely of plastic, they can be properly cleaned and re-used, eliminating the risk of running out.

“It’s very important (to produce these shields) because you can help people survive and protect their health,” said Kirill Kirieiev, manager of the orthotics and prosthetics lab at Cook Children’s Home Health. “Then they can continue serving our patients and feel more protected. If we can accomplish this goal and make their life a little bit safer, that’s most important.”

The Home Health team is also creating cloth masks for Cook Children’s staff and visitors. Working in an assembly line, employees are stitching about 200 face masks a day. Earlier this week, Cook Children’s announced a new policy requiring staff, patients and visitors to wear masks at the medical center and other Cook Children’s locations. The masks produced by the Home Health department are being distributed for this purpose.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to give back in a different way,” said Gendke. “Home Health is often on the end of the spectrum as kids go home from the medical center. This is an opportunity for us to help kids going into the medical center, as well as other staff that are engaged in patient care.”

“I really appreciate that I can help people,” said Kirieiev. “That’s very important. We can improve our community and help our patients, and now doctors too. I’m really proud to be part of the system.”

"I would hear that song 'I'll be home for Christmas' in my head, and I'm like, 'I'm not going to be home,'" said mother, Carol Vallecalle.

It was a tough notion for Vallecalle to accept, but not as tough, she says, as what her 6-week-old daughter Ella has been through.

See the full story here.

Because of the icy road conditions lately, you’ve probably kept your family indoors recently to make sure they were safe. But if you aren’t careful this winter, you risk new dangers inside your home.

Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ because it’s an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas. The Texas Department of State Health Services says, “Several household sources, such as gasoline-powered tools and generators, produce carbon monoxide. Anything that burns can produce carbon monoxide. The fumes are extremely hazardous and can cause sudden illness or death."

Carbon monoxide is especially dangerous to infants, women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the elderly and people with heart or breathing problems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) recommends taking the following steps to prevent carbon monoxide exposure:

· Do have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.

· Do install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall. If the detector sounds leave your home immediately and call 911.

· Do seek prompt medical attention if you suspect CO poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed, or nauseous.

· Don’t use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage or near a window.

· Don’t run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.

· Don’t burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn’t vented.

· Don’t heat your house with a gas oven.