COVID-19
COVID-19 INFO
Coronavirus or COVID-19, has caused a lot of fear for people worldwide. It’s all over your news feeds and is what everyone is talking about at school and work. It can be easy to give into fear and panic when presented with the overwhelming number and volume of opinions and the large amount of uncertainty about how many people it will affect worldwide.
Caring for kids with viruses is not new to us. We at Shawnee Mission Pediatrics have been following this pandemic and after reading numerous articles and conferring with colleagues, here’s a short list of things you need to know for all viruses, especially COVID-19.
Take home points:
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Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
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Keep your kids away from sick people and keep them home if they are sick.
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Teach kids to cough into their arm or elbow, not their hands.
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Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces in your home.
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Avoid unnecessary travel to areas of greatest risk until outbreak has passed.
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DO NOT PANIC. It might help to turn the news off, especially around your children as some kids are already anxious about this virus.
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Do not rush to the doctor or emergency room for a coronavirus test. Very few patients meet the specific criteria for testing and for now that is done by the CDC. We cannot test for coronavirus in our office.
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Many who will get the coronavirus won’t even know that they have it, but certain populations such as the elderly or immunocompromised are at risk for complications, similar to the flu or other viral illnesses. Consider avoiding these people when you or your child is sick.
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Get your information from reputable sources of medical information like the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.
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There is no vaccine or medicine for this virus yet.
Some good articles for parents
A good video for kids (and parents!)
https://www.brainpop.com/…/diseasesinjuriesandc…/coronavirus
COVID-19 Vaccine
Shawnee Mission Pediatrics is now offering covid vaccines for patients 6 months old and up. We will have scheduled clinics as well as offering vaccines during your regular scheduled Well Child Visit (while supplies last) To guarantee a vaccine we would recommend scheduling on a Covid Vaccine Clinic.
To schedule you will need to call the office and leave a message with the front desk. A nurse will return your call in the order it was received to get you on the schedule. Consent forms will be required. We recommend that you print out and sign your form in advance, but we will have them available in the office as well.
To schedule an appointment please call our office at 913-362-1660.
COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Form
COVID-19 Vaccine Info Downloadable/Printable PDF
COVID-19 Suggestions
With a confirmed cases of Coronavirus in our community, a few suggestions/thoughts for our families.
1. Keep a calm head. Think about making sure you have enough medication for your child. If your child has asthma, make sure you have an up to date Albuterol prescription, etc. Also likely not a bad idea to have fever reducers on hand such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen. There is no need to stock pile weeks of food and toilet paper.
2. Wash your hands! This is a good time to renew with your kids and family members good hand washing technique. Make it fun for your kids – sing Happy Birthday or ABCs. Soap and water are ideal but hand sanitizer is a great option as well. Also a good time to remind kids to avoid touching face. (and nose picking and biting nails! )
3. Please remember if you or your child is sick, stay home! The rule is and always has been – no going back to school or work until fever free for 24 hours without fever reducer. We need to keep everyone as healthy as possible during this uncertain time.
4. We are now offering Covid Tests in office.
5. If you or your child has fever, cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing and have any history of recent travel or close contact with anyone with suspected Coronavirus – call our office and speak with a nurse about scheduling a Covid test.
6. If you are sick enough that you would normally go the ED, then go but call ahead.
7. Please know that we are all doing our best during this unprecedented time of illness. We want to accommodate all our patients and families. Be patient with phone calls, wait times, and staff.
8. For up to date information please reference the Kansas Department of Health and Environment http://www.kdheks.gov/ and the Centers for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/
We will continue to update with any changes in guidelines or recommendations as they become available. This is such a fluid situation and we are working to stay up to date and keep you up to date.
Be safe and Wash your hands!!