BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATES

We hope that you all had an excellent summer!

As you are probably all aware, the FDA has fully approved the Pfizer COVID19 vaccine, now named Comirnaty, for ages 16 and up. It still remains available under emergency use authorization for children 12-15. As a reminder, Roslindale Pediatrics strongly recommends that all of our patients eligible for the vaccine receive it. If you are looking for a place to get yourself or your child vaccinated, please see the Vaxfinder site at

https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine

Currently, there are very few contraindications to receiving the Covid vaccine. Unless you meet the CDC criteria for contraindication, we are not able to write exemption letters.

CDC considers a history of the following to be a contraindication to vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines:

-Severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) after a previous dose or to a component of the COVID-19 vaccine

-Immediate allergic reaction of any severity to a previous dose or known (diagnosed) allergy to a component of the vaccine

https://www.cdc.gov/coronav.../2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html

Additionally, as our school aged patients are gearing up for the school year, we wanted to share the following resource regarding masks, as it is likely that many children will once again be required to wear masks in school this year.

https://www.healthychildren.org/.../Mask-Mythbusters.aspx

Finally - it's almost Flu Shot time! Stay tuned for updates soon as we get our flu clinics up and running.

Wishing all of our families good health and patience with the changing guidelines as we head back into the school year.

Sun Protection

We know many of you are excited to finally be able to enjoy being outside now with family and friends, but make sure to protect your children from the sun! Apply sunblock with SPF 30+ 15-30 minutes before exposure and reapply every 2 hours and after swimming. Babies under 6 months should avoid direct sunlight since they are too young to use sunblock. Read more about sun protection here and here.

If your child suffers from a sever sunburn, give us a call.

Camp and College Forms

It’s that time of year again! With things heading back to normal, we know more and more of you are sending your kids to camp and back to in person college, which is great! We just want to remind everyone that if you have forms, we need 72 hours or 3 business days to prepare them for you, and the sooner you can bring them in the better! We now have a convenient drop box at our entrance.

If it has been over 1 year since your child’s last well child exam, please contact us to schedule it prior to requesting the form. Let us know if you have any questions!

Happy Pride Month!

We are proud and honored to care for the LGBTQ+ children of our community! Thank you for putting your trust in us here at RPA. Happy Pride!

Tick Bite - What To Do

With the nicer weather, that means more outdoor time, which unfortunately means a greater risk for tick bites. Make sure after being in any field or wooded area you check yourself and your child head to toe for ticks. If you are worried a tick has been attached for 36 hours or more, please call us. It is very unlikely for Lyme Disease to transmit from a tick bite that is under 36 hours. Click here for a resource by the CDC on what to do if you find a tick attached. And let us know if you have any questions!

Mask Wearing in Office

In the past few weeks there have been a lot of changes in guidelines for people who are fully vaccinated, but regardless of someone’s COVID19 vaccination status, the CDC still recommends wearing masks when in a healthcare setting. Due to this, we are still requiring everyone entering our office over the age of 2 to be wearing a face mask.

Please refer to this link by the CDC to see the updates made for fully vaccinated people.

And of course reach out to us if you have any questions about the virus or the vaccine!

COVID19 Vaccines for 12 and Older

Children age 12 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID19 Pfizer Vaccine. You can preregister your child at the mass.gov website. Once you have an appointment booked, you will need to bring a written consent form. We currently do not have a supply of the COVID19 vaccine in our office, so we highly recommend signing up to receive it elsewhere until we have a supply. Once we have a supply, we will send out a message and update our website and facebook with details on how to sign up for it! You can access our COVID19 Page for more information about the vaccine and reach out to us with any other questions.

Behavioral Health Resources

We are happy to announce that from partnering with the psychiatry department at Boston Children’s Hospital, we now have self management guides for different mental health conditions on our website. Please click here to go to the Behavioral Health Page for more details and links to the guides. As always, please call us to discuss if you have concerns about your or your child’s behaviors.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

As of February 18th, all patients 16 and older with 2 specified medical conditions are eligible to receive the COVID19 vaccine through the Massachusetts vaccination sites. We unfortunately are not distributing the COVID19 vaccine in our office currently. You do not need a letter from us to schedule your vaccine. Please check the COVID-19 Vaccine page on our website for details on how to schedule your vaccine. And call us with any questions.

Afternoon Well Child Appointments

Due to the decrease in the rate of COVID-19 infections in our community, we are now opening spots in our afternoons for well child appointments again. If you had an appointment cancelled in the past 3 months or have not been able to schedule one due to time constraints, you can call us now to schedule afternoon appointments starting February 16th. We are still keeping our COVID-19 safety precautions in place to protect our patients and our staff. We are still offering virtual visits as well if you prefer.