Now that COVID-19 vaccines for babies age 6 months through 5 years are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for children in this age group. Soon enough we will be able to protect our infants and youngest children with a vaccine--and ease the stress that has taken a toll on our mental health.

If you would like to learn more; Everything you should know about the COVID vaccine for kids under 5 years old can be found here.

06/17/22 : Greetings from Whittier Pediatric Group!

Summer is almost officially upon us and most families already have their kids on summer vacations. We’ve seen a few kids with heat strokes. Be sure to stay well hydrated. If your kids are involved in sports you may want to hydrate with sports drinks to replace electrolytes. Lots of sunscreen; young babies can use them too. Those of you with pools or are going to pool parties, remember you have to be within “arms-length” from children in the pool, especially if they are younger than 5 years old. You can use a baton system to hand off supervision to another adult so that not a moment goes by without adult supervision. See the link below for water safety. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Summer-Safety-Tips-Sun-and-Water-Safety.aspx

Also, an updated link regarding gun safety.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Handguns-in-the-Home.aspx?_ga=2.10828660.1950196554.1655402287-631434783.1655402287&_gl=1*1ftyejh*_ga*NjMxNDM0NzgzLjE2NTU0MDIyODc.*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*MTY1NTQwMjI4Ny4xLjAuMTY1NTQwMjI4Ny4w

The latest news regarding COVID vaccines:

FDA’s advisors are recommending the COVID vaccines for 6 month – 5 year olds. CDC is meeting this weekend and this younger group could potentially be allowed to be vaccinated as early as next week. So far, only Pfizer vaccines are approved for 5 – 18 year olds, but this latest approval involves:

• Pfizer at 1/10 of the adult dose. 3 doses for completion
• Moderna at ¼ of the adult dose. 2 doses for completion

The current 5 – 12 year old Pfizer dosage is at 1/3 of the adult dose.

The American Academy of Pediatrics stresses:

That unvaccinated children have twice as much chance of being hospitalized when they catch COVID as opposed to vaccinated children. Please have your children vaccinated for their own sakes and for the sake of family members around them, such as grandparents! Learn more below! https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/covid-19-vaccine-for-children/about-the-covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions/

See the table below from CDC for the schedule:

06/26/22: New Updates Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines!

Everything you should about the COVID vaccine for kids under 5 years old can be found here.

05/21/2021: Updated Eligibility for Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

We would like to remind everyone that people 12 years old and older are now eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine! We recommend all eligible people to be vaccinated as soon as possible against COVID-19, so that together we can overcome this pandemic. Let's work together to keep our communities safe! For more information please visit: https:www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine.index.htm Also this weekend people 18 years old and older who receive their COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to enter for a chance to win a pair of season tickets to watch the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers! If you are interested and want to learn more, please visit: https://abc7.com/sports/chance-to-win-lakers-season-tickets-get-covid-shot-in-la-county/10669014/

04/15/2021: Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All Californians 16 & over can now get the COVID-19 vaccine!!

Spread the word today! If you or anyone you know have children 16 years or older and they reside in California, please do not hesitate to let them know that they may be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine! Please click on this link here for more details: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-15/how-all-californians-16-and-over-can-get-covid-19-vaccine

03/17/2021: Here is a quick fact sheet for Vaccines for People with High-Risk Medical Conditions or Disabilities:

If you have questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, please click here or the title above for more details. From Whittier Pediatric Group to you, we wish you stay safe and healthy during this pandemic. And rest assured, we will get through this together! This is a quick announcement from Whittier Pediatric Group. 9/14/2020 For information regarding COVID19 testing please visit: LA county Residents: https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/ Orange county Residents: https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-testing The New 2020-2021 flu vaccine is available. Please schedule an appointment for the new flu vaccine. Its recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months.

Announcement below was from 5/9/2020

Dear Whittier Pediatric patients, Hello, hope everyone is holding up ok and staying healthy. It’s been a challenging time for everyone, more so than we’ve ever experienced before. We wish you and your family well. If your child is due for a check up or follow up, or has missed a recent appointment due to the pandemic, feel free to call for an appointment - especially if they are due for shots. We are still keeping our office hours the same: M-F, 8:00 am – 12 noon and 1:30 pm to 5 pm. However, we’ll schedule well checks to start off the morning and afternoon sessions and the sick and follow-up appointments after that. The well checks will be scheduled from 8:00 am to 9:15 am and 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm. The sick and follow up appointments will start at 9:30 am and 3 pm. Those of you with previous appointments can keep them, unless you receive a call from the office to change. Besides scheduling the well checks and sick visits at different times, we also instituted the following due to the Covid-19 pandemic:

• Waiting room chairs have been moved to comply with social distancing.
• You also have the option of waiting in your car.  Just call to check in when you arrive.
• Hand sanitizers have always been available in the waiting room. Please use them freely.
• 2 restrooms with sink, soap and water are available in the waiting room.
• If you can make arrangements, please only bring the patient to be seen with you.
• No more that 2 adults can accompany the child; ideally, just one.
• Persons older than 2 years old need to have a mask on at all times.
• The staff will have a mask on and their temperatures checked at each shift.
• Antiseptic cleaners are used between patients.

We also provide telemedicine when appropriate. Please call for the link.

3/16/2020

In times of unprecedented fear and anxiety, we just want to reassure our Whittier Pediatric Community we are still here during our regular hours of 8am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays. However, we ask that you call when you arrive for your appointment and wait in the car until we call you to enter the medical office. We now have a separate waiting area for well babies. The LA county department of public health and the CDC websites all have up to date and constantly evolving information. Let’s all wash our hands and stay healthy!