COVID-19 and Vaccine info

Also: Coronavirus

For the safety of your family, this information is intended for use by North Seattle Pediatrics patients exclusively.

5/11/23:

Starting Friday May 12th:
  • no phone check in
  • no pre-visit screening questions
  • if your child is sick and scheduled for a well checkup, please call to reschedule
  • if anyone coming into our office is sick with fever/respiratory symptoms (runny nose, active cough) please enter the 2nd (sick) entrance and wait at the end of the hall, staff will direct you to an exam room
  • Covid testing is no longer required, but may be asked if helpful in diagnosing
  • masks are still REQUIRED for ALL (age 2 years and older)

4/23:

Mixing COVID-19 Vaccine Products
Do Not Mix Primary Series
CDC does not recommend mixing products for your primary series doses. If you received Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for the first dose of your primary series, you should get the same product for all following primary series doses.

Mixing Boosters
The following information applies to people who want to get different products for their booster vaccine.
Children age 6 months – 4 years:
*Children who only completed 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines should get the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine as the 3rd dose in their primary series.

*Children who completed their three-dose primary series with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine more than two months ago are now eligible to receive a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine.

*Children aged 6 months–4 years who completed the 2-dose Moderna primary series should get an updated Moderna booster.

People 5 years and older:
*Children aged 5 who completed the Pfizer-BioNTech primary series should only get the updated Pfizer-BioNTech booster.

*Children aged 5 who completed the Moderna primary series can get a different product for their updated booster than they got for their primary series.

*People ages 6 years and older can get a different product for their updated booster than they got for their primary series or last booster.

11/22:

We have all Pfizer Covid vaccines for ages 6 months-11 years. For ages 12+ we have Pfizer bivalent only. Please call to schedule an appointment.

9/8/22:

We are working hard to keep all of our patients and families safe here in the office.
We will now allow two healthy, masked family members, without any illness symptoms, accompany the patient to appointments. We continue to discourage any siblings, unless they are here for their own appointment.
Thank you for your patience while we make continue to make changes.
Our policy remains for all entering our office (over the age of two) remain masked, regardless of vaccination status, throughout the entire visit. This follows CDC guidelines for healthcare settings. The University of Washington requires masks to be worn throughout our building.

5/12/22:

We will be asking these screening questions before any in clinic appointment:
1) Has anyone in your household been exposed to a positive Covid case in the past 14 days?

2) Has the patient had a fever greater than 101 degrees F, in the last 24 hours?

3) Has anyone in your household had ANY sick symptoms in the past 72 hours?

If any of the above are yes, you might be rescheduled or we will have someone call you while you are outside of our office to get more details. Your doctor then determines if we proceed with the appointment.

Phone check-in is required before entering the building prior to your appointment.

We REQUIRE masks to be worn at all times in our office by anyone over the age of 2 years.

4/7/22:

Need at home COVID-19 tests for yourself or your family? The Say Yes! COVID Test portal (SYCT) now allows up to 2 orders per household every month, while supplies last. Visit SayYesCovidHomeTest.org to order.
Each order/kit contains 5 tests. That’s 10 tests per month for people in Washington!
If you already ordered from SYCT, you can order again. Each free kit must be ordered individually – order once for five tests, order a second time for five more.

3/28/22:

CDC’s new COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation (Q&I) Calculator takes the stress out of figuring when, and for how long, people with COVID-19 and close contacts need to stay home, get tested, and wear a well-fitting mask.

3/14/22:

With the current mask mandate changes, please know that masks are still required at our office. Not only do we believe this is important to protect our patients, their families and our staff, we also must follow UW requirements. “All patients and visitors (2 years of age and older), vendors and employees – even if fully vaccinated – must wear a mask covering their nose and mouth when entering and while inside of a UW Medicine facility to protect against COVID-19 transmission.”

2/3/22:

We continue to not have any timeline on if or when we might have the Covid vaccine available in our office. It is something we are looking into. As soon as we know more, we will update this page and our Facebook page.

Here is a handout about “What Families Need to Know” published January 2022 from the AAP regarding Covid-19.

1/12/22: (updated 4/7/22-testing is now available again at Seattle Childrens. Order from MD is needed)

We received the following information late yesterday:
Seattle Children’s COVID-19 Testing Information
“Due to a shortage of testing reagents and high demand for testing, we are decreasing the number of COVID-19 tests we can offer at Seattle Children’s at this time and have temporarily stopped accepting referrals for COVID-19 testing from primary care providers. Seattle Children’s Emergency Department and Urgent Care clinics are also temporarily unable to do COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic patients (patients without symptoms), even if they had a known exposure to COVID-19, or for patients who tested positive through an at-home antigen test.”
There is more information here, including other options for testing. https://www.seattlechildrens.org/…/covid-19-testing…/
**please be aware that ALL testing sites have been quite busy**
1/10/22:

Everyone 12 years and older who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is eligible for a booster.

11/4/21:

Seattle Children’s is providing COVID-19 vaccination services to the general public, including our patients. At this time, people 5 years and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Washington state.

  • We are only administering the Pfizer vaccine; we are not currently offering any other vaccines besides Pfizer. The Pfizer vaccine is:
    • Approved for people 5 to 15 years old under an Emergency Use Authorization for first and second doses
    • Fully FDA-approved for people 16 years and above for first and second doses
    • Approved for people 12 and older under an Emergency Use Authorization for third doses
    • Approved for people 18 years and older under an Emergency Use Authorization for booster doses
  • We will start providing the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine on November 9 for children ages 5–11 years.
  • We have a limited number of doses for people who are between 5–11 years old due to the national allocation system. We will continue to open up more appointments as we receive more Pfizer vaccines for this younger age group.
  • People who are younger than 18 must have a legal guardian present with them to sign the patient acknowledgement form/consent for care in the clinic at time of vaccination. This is required at each vaccine appointment.
  • We allow 2 parents or caregivers to accompany the patient to their vaccine appointment. Siblings of any age may not come along to the appointment.
  • We have appointments available from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. We do not offer walk-in vaccinations. Please do not come to the hospital or any of our locations for a vaccine if you do not have an appointment.
  • At the time of your vaccine, we will ask some screening questions to confirm this is the right time for you or your child to receive the vaccine.
    • Talk to your primary healthcare provider about any questions or concerns related to the vaccine and your medical needs. Vaccine clinic staff will not be able to advise you if any underlying health conditions could stop you from receiving the vaccine or should be considered before you receive it.
  • If you need additional support during your vaccine appointment, add a note to your appointment or send an email to COVIDCommunitySupport@seattlechildrens.org with your request and specific needs. We will contact you to discuss how we can support you or your child to ensure a safe and positive vaccination experience. Only with prior notice, we can offer:
    • A pre-vaccination clinic visit where you can visit our clinic and discuss your needs with a member of our team
    • A private room where we can administer the vaccine
    • Extra time to support patients with sensory or emotional needs as appropriate and within state and federal regulations
  • We encourage you to bring things like drawing materials, a notebook, games or other things to distract you or your child.
  • Please plan to arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before your scheduled time so we can maintain the safe physical distancing of people waiting for their vaccine.

Scheduling Your Vaccine Appointment

  • You may use Seattle Children’s scheduling portal to schedule an appointment.
    • The portal requires you to use Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge internet browsers.
    • We will send you a confirmation email when your vaccine appointment for your dose is successfully booked.
      • After that, we will send you instructions on how to open a MyChart account through Seattle Children’s. You can also sign up here.
    • Your second dose appointment will be automatically scheduled for you after you receive your first dose.
    • If you need to cancel an appointment, do so here.

You can also check the Washington State Vaccine Locator for other locations where vaccines are offered.

If you need help, please email COVIDCommunitySupport@seattlechildrens.org.

11/1/21:

We are pleased to announce that UW Medicine has opened a COVID-19 vaccine appointment waitlist for children ages 5 to 11 in anticipation of new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coming soon.

To get your child on our vaccine appointment waitlist:
Call 844.520.8700 to join the waitlist.
We (UW) will contact you by phone or text when the vaccine is approved, and it is time to make your appointment.
Once contacted, you will be asked several questions and offered the choice of scheduling on the phone or through an online link that you can use one time only. (The fastest way to schedule will be through the online link.)
An appointment is required for your child to receive the vaccine. We are not currently accepting walk-ins at any UW Medicine location.

Please note that we expect only the Pfizer vaccine to be authorized for this age group at this time.

10/20/21:

We do not have any timeline on if or when we might have the Covid vaccine available in our office. It is something we are looking into. As soon as we know more, we will update this page and our Facebook page. We are hopeful that the vaccine locator website will also be updated when the 5-11 year vaccine is approved.

7/1/21:

Per our Department of Health: All people, regardless of vaccination status, must wear masks in some settings:

  • Public transportation and in transportation hubs, including airports, bus or ferry terminals, and trains
  • Child care facilities, camps, K-12 schools or other child-focused settings when children are present or expected to be present
  • Health care settings like hospitals, long-term care, or doctors’ offices
  • Correctional facilities in areas where incarcerated individuals are present or expected to be present
  • Homeless shelters in areas where individuals being served are present or expected to be present

5/17/21:

Seattle Children’s is providing COVID-19 vaccination services to the general public, including our patients. At this time, all people 12 years and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Washington state under an Emergency Use Authorization.

Visit their website at: https://www.seattlechildrens.org/patients-families/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-information

5/11/21:

COVID-19 Vaccine is now available for ages 12 years and up! We are unable to administer the vaccine here in our office due to the difficulty in storage requirements associated with the Pfizer vaccine.

Vaccine Locator to find a location near you. https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/

3/22/21:

Comic: How the Covid Vaccine Can Save Your Life

2/14/21:

Improve How Your Mask Protects You

2/8/21:

Isolation and Quarantine Calculator

1/28/21

On this website, https://sites.google.com/uw.edu/supportourstudents/home, you will find free legal, mental health, technology, housing and food support for students and families in the Seattle and King County Area.

11/23/20

We are continuing to screen all families with appointments for well visits, consults and non acute sick appointments. Screening questionnaires may be texted prior to the appointment. Please call from your car when you have arrived at our parking lot or if you walk here, as you are approaching the building to check in for the appointment. Final screening will happen at this point. If there are any concerns with current symptoms or exposure to Covid-19 with the patient or any household contacts-the appointment will be canceled and rescheduled. This is to provide the safest care to our families and our staff.

Regarding Covid-19 testing at Seattle Children’s Hospital: Please do not call for results until at least 48 hours after the test was done. We will attach the results to the documents section in MyKidsChart and/or call you as soon as we get the results faxed to us.

8/6/20

We are now doing phone check in for all appointments! Please call from your car when you have arrived. If you walk to our building, then please call before entering. Call 206-368-6080. We have dedicated phone lines for this check in process.

We will be asking these screening questions:

1) Has the patient, or any household or close contact of the patient, had any of the following in the past 72 hours:

Fever (100.4 or higher), chills, shortness of breath, cough, nasal congestion/drainage, loss of smell or taste, sore throat, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea or new rash?

2) Has the patient, or any household or close contact of the patient, been diagnosed with COVID-19? If yes, must quarantine for 14 days and have no symptoms for at least 72 hours before the appointment.

3) Has the patient, or any household or close contact of the patient, traveled on an airplane or outside the state in the past 14 days?

If any of the above are yes, you might be rescheduled or we will have someone call you while you are outside of our office to get more details. Your doctor then determines if we proceed with the appointment.

5/13/20

HERE’S AN UPDATE ON WHAT NORTH SEATTLE PEDIATRICS IS DOING TO HELP YOU AND YOUR FAMILY STAY HEALTHY AND SAFE:

OUR FOCUS ON SAFETY
Keeping patients, staff and providers safe and healthy is our top priority. When you come into the clinic to see your provider, or for lab or diagnostic services in our building, we want to reassure you that we have comprehensive safety measures in place, including:
· Screening all patients over the phone and at entry, and screening of all staff and providers
· Requiring masks for all patients over 2 years of age, parents and staff
· Rigorous cleaning protocols and frequent disinfecting of surfaces
· Adapting our spaces to accommodate physical distancing
· Keeping ample supplies of personal protective equipment for use by our staff
· Maintaining separate times and spaces for sick and well children

ABOUT YOUR VISIT
We ask that all parents/caregivers and patients over two years of age wear masks. Please allow a few extra minutes before your appointment time for the screening process. The current recommendation is to bring only children who have appointments along to the visit and one parent/caregiver to minimize people in the building.
We have modified our waiting room to allow for physical distancing. We appreciate your patience as we adapt to our new environment.

TELEMEDICINE OPTIONS
We continue to offer telemedicine services for your safety and convenience for many types of concerns. Telemed visits are currently covered by most insurance plans. Some of the things we can use telemed for are: rashes, pink eye, follow up visits for ADHD and depression/anxiety/behavior issues, screening COVID-19 symptoms and certain injuries. Please call 206-368-6080 to schedule. A staff member will help determine if your concern is appropriate for a telemed visit. At this time, we are not using telemed for well visits. We are, however, prioritizing our morning appointment times for well visits so well children are not in the office when sick children are here.

COVID-19 TESTING
Drive through COVID-19 testing is now being offered by Seattle Children’s by appointment. Please see this link: https://www.seattlechildrens.org/healthcare-professionals/covid-19-testing/ for more information, and call us if you think your child needs testing.

We are here for you as your child’s medical home, and we continue to strive to provide the very best medical care available for your child’s needs.

Talking with Your Children About COVID-19

We understand that this may be a stressful time while you continue to monitor your own and your child’s physical and mental health during an outbreak. The following resources are available to help you and your child during this time: ImaginAction (helps you be more in control over how you feel) and  Helping Children and Teens Cope with Anxiety.

Reliable Web Sites


Child Counselors Toilet Training