AdventHealth Morning Briefing: Physician talks COVID-19's impact on children

June 11, 2020 — As part of our ongoing Facebook Live series, the AdventHealth Morning Briefing, helpful insights were shared about how to keep children safe this summer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Michael Keating, chief medical officer at AdventHealth for Children, talked about the decline in parents taking their kids to important medical appointments — including for vaccines and emergencies — out of fear they will contract COVID-19, and what physicians are doing to keep everyone safe. He also gave pointers on what’s safe and unsafe for children this summer.

Key insights include:

• Keep up with children’s routine health care appointments and physicals. Pediatricians are seeing a decline in the number of young patients who would typically be seen for routine care and well-child checkups. Fear should not keep you or your family from going to a doctor’s office or hospital. Extra precautions and enhanced safety measures are in place to keep you safe if you need to be seen in office. Telehealth visits are also available.
• Continue to follow social distancing, handwashing and masking guidelines for children. It is getting harder to sequester children as the pandemic wears on. Children need to be able to get outdoors and socialize, play and exercise. Use common sense in how you let your children interact with others and continue to take safety precautions. Don’t feel guilty if your family is following guidelines and others are not as cautious.

• Be observant of your child’s mental health and notice behavioral changes. Children and their families are coping with extreme levels of stress and anxiety during these difficult times. Some children may not be able to articulate how they are feeling and internalize their fears. Behavioral and mood changes may signal your child is struggling with mental health issues.

We encourage you to refer to the video on the Life at AdventHealth Central Florida page to pull direct quotes from Dr. Keating. You can also download it here: https://vimeo.com/427828543#t=134s