Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kansas City: A Rolling Update
3/22/20, 6 pm
News continues to change quickly as our international community deals with the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Most of you are aware of the significance of this novel virus and are eager for reliable, up-to-date information.
For those of us in the Kansas City area, specifically our Pediatric Associates patients, here’s what we know:
PA is preparing for the presence of COVID-19 in KC as directed by our local public health authorities. As action steps are being taken, we appreciate your patience.
Currently, there are confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kansas and Missouri. There is community transmission. Meaning, not all cases are travel-related. Orders this week include those in the KC area to shelter-in-place. This means to STAY IN YOUR HOUSE to limit spread of this contagious virus and prevent our KC hospitals from becoming overworked.
The symptoms of COVID-19 are primarily respiratory. Think fever, cough, diarrhea, headache, and body aches. It is the shortness of breath and increasing respiratory difficulty affecting those severely infected. Fortunately, children do not seem to be getting critically ill from COVID-19, and scientists are not sure why. Children are likely able to transmit the virus to other more potentially susceptible individuals, but we will learn more as testing increases.
The treatment for COVID-19 is supportive. This means fever reducers, pain control, lots of fluids, rest, and chicken soup. There is no medication to treat this viral infection.
We do NOT have the ability to test for COVID-19 in our PA offices. However, testing is slowly becoming available at various labs across the state. Testing is currently being prioritized for patients who are hospitalized or at greatest risk of complications. Beware that there are clinics touting the ability to test for coronavirus. Although this claim may technically be true, these tests may only be for other coronavirus subtypes, not COVID-19. Don’t fall for this scam.
We still have flu shots available for our PA patients and we highly recommend getting vaccinated, if you have not done so already. There is a COVID-19 vaccine in development and we will keep you posted on availability. We do not anticipate this solution for many months.
If your child is a PA patient and you think your child has been exposed by a known infected person or has traveled outside of the Kansas/Missouri area in the past 14 days, call our office for the next steps. Do NOT bring your child to any PA location without phoning first. Do NOT bring your child to any local urgent care or ER without phoning first. This bears repeating. —> If your child is a PA patient and you are concerned of COVID-19 exposure, call our office first before bringing any child to any PA location, urgent care center, or ER. If your child is NOT a PA patient, call your child’s pediatrician or local health department to find out what to do. We are in close communication with the local HD and CMH ER and have the information you need for next steps. CALL FIRST.
Stay home. No, really. Stay in your house as much as possible. There is a reason that everything is cancelled. It is so everyone in the country will practice social distancing. Social distancing is inconvenient and uncomfortable, but is the best way to protect our community resources for the upcoming surge of illness. This means: No play dates, no parties, no eating-out (take-out is OK), no groups larger than 10, no non-essential travel (international or domestic). Many are recommending a voluntary 14-day quarantine upon returning from high-risk areas.
Don’t hoard masks or hand sanitizer. And don’t wear a mask unless you are symptomatically ill. Masks offer some help in preventing the spread of YOUR germs to others, not the other way around. Wearing a mask when you are well is neither needed nor useful.
Talk with your kids about how germs make us sick, but how we can keep our infection-fighting superpower by taking great care of our bodies. We wash our hands thoroughly (I’m a Raspberry Beret/Jolene fan, myself.) We cover our coughs and sneezes “in the bend-y place.” We try not to touch our faces and keep our hands to ourselves. We get great sleep. We choose to eat nutritious foods. And, we get the immunizations our PA doctor recommends to stay healthy.
Understand the preparation and expectation of your child’s school.
Lean into reliable sources for information. These include the CDC , WHO, Children’s Mercy Hospital , the Kansas Health Department, and the Missouri Health Department. We are thankful for individuals on the front lines of this epidemic and their devoted service to public health.
Be mindful of the conversation about this virus in your home. This news is causing anxiety and worry in our kids as they hear more information from school, classmates, and social media. If you need help explaining what is going on, here’s excellent advice from NYT writer, Jessica Grose and NPR.
Think about a Family Action Plan and update your emergency kit.
Finally, pretty please with a cherry on top, stay at home if you are sick.
