Practice News

The newest COVID-19 Moderna 2024-2025 season vaccine will soon be available in our offices for all children 6 months old through 11 years of age!

Starting late September 2024, U.S. households will once again be able to order up to 4 additional COVID test kits, at no charge, at COVIDTests.gov.

Remember that the newest COVID variants may not show up on home testing in the first day or two of symptoms.  (Our office can test current patients with a PCR test, considered the gold standard, anytime COVID-19 is suspected.  However, many insurance carriers no longer cover these send-out tests, so a home test might be a better choice for many households.)  To maximize the chances of an accurate home test,  swab the back of the throat and then the nostrils as directed.  If the test is negative, repeat in 1-2 days (some of the more recent Omicron subvariants peak in shedding on Day 4 of symptoms.)  Any positive test is probably accurate, but a negative test that is done too early might be a false-negative.

It is important to test to:

1.  Avoid spreading the infection to others

2.  Have a clear idea of why you are sick (in case of complications)

3.  Get treatment (Paxlovid) if you are in a high risk group (remember that it is not approved for children under 12 years of age)

4.  To know when to get your COVID-19 vaccine (typically 3+ months after having the disease)

For more information, please go to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/prevention/index.html

Beyfortus ( is an FDA approved and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended injection that helps prevent serious lung disease caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

This monoclonal antibody shot is available for all infants younger than 8 months of age during RSV season (typically October through the end of March).  It is also available for some children 8 months to 19 months of age who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease and who are entering their second RSV season.  

Infants under 8 months of age whose mothers received the RSV vaccine during the 32nd-36th weeks of pregnancy should be protected for the season and will not need to get Beyfortus.

Here is the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) link for more information on Beyfortus and RSV: https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/vaccines/index.html

Bottom line – if you are otherwise healthy and have received both doses of the measles vaccine, then you are protected against the measles.  Those born before 1957 should have had measles disease and should also be protected.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) (www.nctsn.org) has resources to help parents and caregivers talk about the current situation with their children, including ways to support them and ways to support others who may be impacted.

“The National Institutes of Health has launched a website MakeMyTestCount.org which allows people to anonymously report the results of any brand of at-home COVID-19 test.

Data collected is anonymous and sent to public health systems that receive test results from laboratories and doctor’s offices. Users provide general information such as age and zip code and have the option to include race, ethnicity, sex, and symptoms, but it is not required.

‘It’s anonymous, which I think is important for people wanting to maintain their privacy. At the same time, it’s also completely voluntary,’ Andrew Weitz, Ph.D., a program director at the NIH and co-lead of the project, told ABC News.”

Click here to see the updated SIDS prevention Recommendations.

Click below for COVID Resources