Pediatricians to Parents: Don’t Skip Your Child’s Medical Care During COVID-19: A Note from GEEARS

For more resources, activities for children, and support for parents who are navigating the Covid-19 crisis, visit the GEEARS website.

Georgia pediatricians are offering parents guidance for keeping kids healthy during this extraordinary time.

“While we want families to shelter-in-place to keep COVID-19 transmission at a minimum, we don’t want to neglect important medical care for our children, including life-saving
immunizations,” said Terri McFadden, MD, FAAP, president of the Georgia Chapter of the
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

The Georgia AAP, which represents more than 1,800 pediatricians across the state, offers the following advice for parents trying to decide whether to seek medical care for their child during this uncertain time:

• Pediatric offices are working to keep your child safe – Pediatricians are taking extra steps in their offices to ensure the health and safety of young patients and their families. Some examples include scheduling sick and well patients at different times, disinfecting their offices regularly, and skipping the waiting room by bringing patients directly from their cars into the exam room.
• Children should stay up-to-date with their well visits and vaccines – Well visits and immunizations are extremely important, especially for children under the age of two. Vaccines protect children from serious, preventable diseases. During well visits, pediatricians can also address the emotional health of your child.
• Keep your newborn checkup appointments – Newborns are especially vulnerable to infection, so it’s important to keep babies away from anyone who might be sick, however, regular pediatric appointments are critical to ensuring newborn health.
• Pediatricians can provide care for your child via telehealth visits – Many practices across Georgia have either started or greatly expanded their telehealth capabilities. Your pediatrician may recommend a telehealth visit, instead of the child coming to the office, allowing the child to be “seen” by the practice without leaving home. Doctors are seeing sick patients virtually through Facetime, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Zoom and other modalities.
• Children’s emotional health is important too, especially during these stressful times – Just as COVID-19 has been stressful for adults, so it is for children. Your pediatrician is there for you and your children when problems or concerns arise.