Question: What are the common symptoms of Delta variant infection among children? Our school is sending kids home who are only exhibiting runny noses… is that a symptom?
Answer: With the Delta variant being relatively new to the scene, our understanding is still quite limited, including our understanding of how it impacts children. In terms of common symptoms among children, here’s a snapshot of what we currently know:
- Fever, cough, headache, and sore throat are common. A comprehensive report of a school-based outbreak associated with the Delta variant published earlier this month found that “Among the 27 total cases, 22 (81%) persons reported symptoms; the most frequently reported symptoms were fever (41%), cough (33%), headache (26%), and sore throat (26%).”
- Pre-delta, headache and fatigue were most commonly reported symptoms. A symptoms study of children (data collected pre-Delta) published in Lancet Infectious Diseases last month found that children who experienced symptoms were most likely to report headache (62%) and fatigue (55%). (Figure 1)
- Sneezing and runny nose are also possible symptoms. The Lancet study did find that runny nose (44%) and sneezing (28%) were also commonly reported among children. This finding aligns with a study of breakthrough infections among adults that we recently discussed in our Q&A of 9/16.
Figure 1. Prevalence of symptoms reported by age group, pre-Delta (from Lancet)
