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Pediatric Care During COVID-19
Wellstar is committed to helping children stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Count on our dedicated healthcare team to keep your child in safe, expert hands.
Pediatric COVID-19 Testing
As new variants of the virus emerge and spread, parents may be worried about their child’s health and possible COVID-19 exposure.
Before you take your child for a COVID-19 test, it’s important to know the proper location for their medical circumstance.
Know Where to Go
If you are concerned your child may have been exposed to COVID-19 and is:
- Asymptomatic (showing no symptoms): Find a local COVID-19 testing site near you.
- Showing mild to moderate symptoms: Contact your Wellstar pediatrician’s office directly to book a COVID-19 testing appointment.
- Experiencing severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, persistent high fever, unable to keep liquids down, lethargy, or severe gastrointestinal symptoms: Seek immediate medical care at the nearest pediatric emergency department.
Choose the Right Location
Take your child to the right location for their medical circumstance.
For more information about the types of testing offered at Wellstar, visit our main COVID-19 testing page.
Keeping Your Child Safe
The best protection against COVID-19 is prevention and stopping community spread.
Young children who are not eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are counting on the community to take action and get vaccinated. Be sure you and your family members who are age 12 and up get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Parents can also help protect their child’s health by teaching them the 3Ws—wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance.
Learn how you can make well happen.
For more health tips, visit our COVID-19 resource page.
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Meeting Milestones with Wellstar’s Pediatricians
As children prepare for the new school year, one step families can take to stay healthy is to head to the pediatrician for an annual check-up.
Regular pediatric check-ups are beneficial for the whole family. Together, you can discuss your child’s development, behavior, eating habits, sleep schedule and any other concerns you may have about their health. Because you and your child share the same goal — staying healthy and happy — your Wellstar pediatrician will partner with you both.
Highlights
BacktoSchoolCare: Keeping Kids Healthy & Safe
A new school year is right around the corner. While kids may be the ones returning to the classroom, parents still have their own homework to do too: making sure their child has a healthy start.
Before heading back to school, Wellstar health experts say it’s more important than ever prioritize your child’s physical and emotional well-being.
“Parents can help their children be prepared for school by starting early,” said Wellstar Pediatrician Dr. Andrew Doyle. “Be sure to speak to your children and address any anxieties they may have now about the new school year.”
“Also, getting them scheduled to see their pediatrician for important screenings and immunizations will help them be their healthiest,” he shared.
Highlights
COVID-19: Caring for Children
Wellstar is committed to providing the best and safest care possible to children. Across our health parks, pediatric offices, pediatric emergency departments and dedicated pediatric center, we’ve put extra precautions in place to prevent the spread of infections such as COVID-19 so children can thrive.
When it comes to pediatric surgery, we are committed to providing safe care. Therefore, each child will receive a pre-op COVID-19 test, and we’ve developed this helpful resource for parents so they know what they and their child can expect.
Keeping Kids Calm & Engaged
We understand many children may be going through a difficult time during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many may experience anxiety and stress—especially if they can’t visit a loved one in the hospital. Wellstar has created some talking points for parents to help them explain to children why they must not visit at this time.
Additionally, if parents are struggling to keep kids feeling connected during the pandemic, our pediatric experts have developed these great ideas for engaging kids at home.
Kids & COVID-19
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most COVID-19 cases in children are mild and mirror adult symptoms, such as fever, runny nose and cough. However, some children—especially those with underlying medical conditions—may get severely ill from COVID-19 and may require hospitalization.
The key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 is to limit contact as much as possible. While adults make up the majority of COVID-19 cases, children may be asymptomatic and may pass the virus to others. Children should have limited interaction with higher-risk individuals, such as older adults and those with underlying medical conditions.
If your children may be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, contact your healthcare provider and keep your children at home and away from others as much as possible.