In an effort to combat the COVID outbreak, we are making some scheduling adjustments. We are trying to see just well patients in the morning, and sick patients in the afternoon. We prefer patients come in with just one caregiver if possible, and preferably sick caregivers should stay at home. If you are more comfortable waiting in your car, let us know when you arrive and we can call you when it is your turn. (We are trying these things out; I expect there to be a learning curve.)
There is local consensus in the pediatric community that we will not be testing non-hospitalized pediatric patients for the near future. There is a scarcity of testing supplies, and the Seattle experience suggests that children are much less likely to contract and carry the disease, and much less likely to become ill and need admission. We still strongly recommend social distancing. I look forward to getting more information from other areas with Pediatric data as it becomes available. The CDC and AAP websites remain excellent sources of information.
American Academy of Pediatrics – Bright Futures COVID Info