COVID19

Response to COVID19

3/31/2023

New Mask Policy

Starting 4/3/2023 we are lifting the mask mandate on all visits to our office. Families coming in for a well visit do not need to wear masks. We are asking all family members who come in for a sick visit to wear masks in the office. Also if you are not feeling well and are in for a well visit please wear a mask.  We are still asking families to call when they arrive for a visit before entering the office. This has helped us be more efficient getting families checked in for their visit. Please feel to call if you have any questions about the new policy.

October 21st, 2022

We now have the new recommended covid booster(3rd covid dose) for all children 6 years of age and up. We hope to have the booster for children 5years of age in next couple weeks. We are offering the new Bivalent booster to children and parents in our office. Please call office to schedule.

 June 21st,2022

We are pleased that now Covid vaccines are available for all children 6 months-4 years. Shipments of the vaccine will be arriving this week to our office. Moderna offers a 2 shot series 28 days apart. Pfizer has a 3 shot series(2nd shot given 21 days after initial one, then third dose 2 months after the second vaccine). Both vaccines are available at the office. We will start scheduling vaccines at 8:15AM on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday starting the week of 6/27/2022. The vaccines will also be available during well visits.

November 14,2021

Starting November 15th, 2021 we will be scheduling the Covid Vaccine for children 5-11 years of age throughout the week. Please call office to schedule an appointment. We are also happy to provide the second dose if you got the first dose elsewhere.

November 8,2021

We have received our first shipment of the Covid vaccine for children ages 5-11. The State is limiting how many doses each practice can receive at this time. We will do our first clinic this Saturday, November 13th. Each week we should be notified how much more vaccine we can obtain. Please call office to set up an appointment for your child to get the Covid vaccine on November 13th. Once more vaccine is obtained we will open more spots to vaccinate our eligible patients.

November 4, 2021

1. The COVID vaccine for children ages 5-11 is being distributed and we expect to receive our first shipment within a week.  Please rest assure that once the first shipment comes, we will continue to get weekly shipments and everyone who wants to be vaccinated should have access within a matter of weeks.  We will make vaccine readily accessible including a weekend clinic.  ALL VACCINES WILL BE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY so when we have vaccine available, we will put instructions on our website regarding obtaining appointments and will also send out a blast email. 
2. We continue to vaccinate patients ages 12 and over every Friday at 4:15pm by appointment only.
3. If your child is sick or needs a COVID test for any reason, please call us for an appointment.  We obtain a PCR swab (either nose or throat) and generally are able to have results in 36-48 hours.  We do not do rapid testing in our office.

Dear Catonsville Pediatric Families:

Our office is taking every precaution to prevent the spread of COVID19.  You will notice we are scheduling appointments a little differently.  In order to minimize exposure to illness in our office, we will be providing well visits earlier in the day.  All patients with fever and cough who need to be seen will be seen at the end of the day.  We will ask patients with these appointments to call before entering the office to limit any waiting in the waiting room.  You will notice that all books/magazines and toys have been removed from the waiting room to prevent the spread of germs.  Please bring your own toys and books if needed.  We ask that all patients with fever and cough put on a disposable mask which we will provide on entry to the office.  We also ask that parents who have fever and cough not bring patients to the office.   Please remember the following facts:

- COVID19 is mostly affecting older individuals, not children.

- Influenza is still very active in the community.  If your children have not been vaccinated, we still have a limited amount of vaccine available.  Please call our office ASAP if you would like your child to receive an influenza vaccine.

- In many individuals, especially children, COVID19 will be a mild illness and these people should be treated at home.

- COVID19 tends to cause significant fever (over 102) and cough.  No one without these symptoms should be tested.  We are happy to discuss testing with you but our office will strictly follow CDC guidelines for testing. 

We do not need to see anyone with less than 72 hours of fever unless you are having trouble keeping your child comfortable or they have a complaint like an ear ache.  All patients with fever (fever is defined as temp over 100.4) for over 72 hours should be seen.  If your child is having respiratory distress, we likely will send you directly to the pediatric emergency room.

Please avoid coming into the office for any administrative reasons.  If you have forms for your child, please email them to us at admin@catonsvillepediatrics.com or fax them to 410-744-9668. We will email them back upon completion