Children experiencing cough, colds and fever, also the symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019, should get checked by a physician for better evaluation, an infectious diseases expert advised parents on Tuesday.

Department of Health (DOH) Technical Advisory Group member Dr. Ana Ong-Lim said this flu season, it is difficult to identify whether these symptoms are caused by Covid-19.

“Pinakamaganda pa rin na magkaroon tayo ng teleconsult o kaya kumusulta sa doctor para mai-evaluate, kung iyan ba ay pwedeng ipagpahinga na lang or kailangan pang mag-work up para malaman kung ito nga ay Covid (It is best for them to have a teleconsult or be consulted by a doctor so it can be evaluated, if rest will do or a workup must be done to identify whether it’s Covid),” she said during a televised public briefing.

If a child with mild symptoms belongs to a household with a Covid case or adults are experiencing symptoms of the disease, the child could be “Covid-19 probable,” Lim said.

As the vaccination of children ages 5 to 11 years old nears, Lim disclosed that the DOH would prioritize those with comorbidity for this age group – the same strategy used in the inoculation of children ages 12 to 17 years old.

However, there is a possibility that children for such age group – with or without comorbidity – can be vaccinated at the same time if the country gets enough supply of the jabs specifically formulated for them, Lim added.

Earlier, health experts explained that the expected adverse events following immunization for 5- to 11-year-old children are similar to those in other age groups.

These include fever, headache, increase in blood pressure, body malaise, dizziness, rashes, and numbness at the injection site. (PNA)