March 16, 2020
COVID-19 update
Dear Patients and Families,
Wake Forest Pediatrics is taking the new Coronavirus threat seriously. We are working closely with local health officials and hospitals to put into place mechanisms to keep our community as safe as possible.
The most effective approach to contain the spread of this virus is through aggressive personal hygiene and isolation. We recommend washing your hands regularly and avoid exposure to people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Stay home when sick. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. We also recommend social isolation by avoiding large gatherings and places where you come into contact with large numbers of people in day to day life.
Please call our office if your child is sick to be screened before coming to the office. We are no longer going to have sick walk in. This will allow us to screen all patients before arrival to the office.
We are going to change how patients are seen in our office to decrease the exposure of well children to sick children. In the mornings we are going to see all our well children for physicals and follow up appointments including well checks, med checks and asthma visits. All our sick appointments will be in the afternoon. After 2:15 pm until the end of the day we will see all sick children that need to be seen by appointment only.
We are requesting all families limit the number of caregivers bringing the child to the office. We would prefer to only have one caregiver per patient.
We are requesting families only bring the patient to the office, and if possible, not to bring any siblings. Please do not bring any sick siblings that are not being seen.
We are requesting people over the age of 60 to avoid our office unless there is absolutely no alternative.
SCREENING
We are currently screening all patients for exposure to the COVID-19, as follows:
***If you have had close contact with a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patient within 14 days or have traveled to an area known to have community spread of COVID-19, and have fever with cough, please contact the NC Coronavirus hotline at (866) 462-3821 to arrange testing and get advice about home isolation. You can also call UNC Health Helpline at (888) 850-2684 and they are screening and arranging testing if you qualify.
OUR OFFICE IS NOT ABLE TO TEST FOR COVID-19 AT THIS TIME
***If your child has no symptoms, but possible exposure to COVID-19 positive patient, it is best to avoid our office and practice home isolation. You can follow the NCDHHS home isolation guide and symptom log. If your child were to develop symptoms of fever and cough you should call our office or the NC COVID hotline to arrange testing.
***If your child is experiencing cough and fever with no known exposure to a COVID-19 positive patient and no recent travel to an area known to have community spread of the COVID-19 please contact our office prior to arriving for further screening and being directed to an appropriate appointment.
Please know that our providers and nurses are always available to answer your questions or discuss any concerns you have about your child. As recommendations are changing, we will keep you updated and make the appropriate changes to our clinics.
The Good News!!
Reports from China, South Korea and Italy have noted children to have milder disease if they are infected with COVID-19 and less severe complications. Children are exposed to many Coronaviruses every winter and this is thought to be one of the reasons why infection is less severe in children. However, children can still spread this infection to older individuals and people at higher risk for infection. All children with fever and cough should practice home isolation to protect the more vulnerable in our society from exposure this viral infection. Always feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns about your child or children.
Thank you for trusting us with the care of your children
RESOURCES
How to talk to your children about coronavirus (Boston Children’s hospital)
Talking with children about Coronavirus disease 2019 (CDC)
Coronavirus: COVID-19 information from the American Academy of Pediatrics
