Coronavirus Causes COVID-19

Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • Mar 01, 2020

Everybody says “ Don’t panic ” about the Coronavirus.  That’s valuable advice to be sure, but this blog is about practical things you can do while you’re not panicking.  We are in the middle of an ‘infodemic’ about COVID-19  and everybody really just wants to know what to do.

If you’re going to worry about Coronavirus, worry about things you can control. Things that keep kids healthy.  The hard stuff.  Like eating fruits and vegetables (instead of junk food) and getting enough sleep.  Too easy?  Try three straight weeks of family focus on these things.  I did.  The kids were organizing the No Veggie Sticks Mutiny into the second week. Putting back the VeggieSticks (which are the same as chips, you know) should not be a difficult as getting facemarks delivered from Amazon.

Each month matters .  Experts are learning as they study and monitor the spread of Coronavirus.  Vaccine research is happening now, we’ll know more and more about how to avoid infection and how to get well if we catch the virus.   At the same time, my family is focusing on our own healthy habits and trying to improve them.

We’re playing T-Zone Tag .  It’s a game I invented to see how long we can go without touching the T-zone area on the face:  eyes across + nose & mouth down.  I’m the observer looking around to ‘tag’ one of my kids when she touches the T-zone.  Then she’s the CoronaTagger until she spots one of us touch the T-zone.  You can read more about why it’s important NOT to touch the T-zone in a great blog post by my favorite Kristen Stuppy, MD at Quest For Health.

To really up the ante on good handwashing (because little kids always remembers to flush AND wash, right?) I invented Cow Bell Craziness .  I’m a soccer mom and cow bells are just part of celebrating the next soccer goal.  Everybody noticed when I left a cow bell in each bathroom.  Any bell will do, but after “flush and wash,” the kids are ringing a cow bell this month and still giggling about my ‘goal’ of bringing more attention to the importance of good handwashing.  If you didn’t click Dr. Stuppy’s link above, it’s a worthwhile read.  Here it is again: ** Help PREVENT the Spread of Infections

Lots of my patients and their families are anxious about Coronavirus.  If you must worry, focus your attention on things you can control.  Educate yourself and your children by sharing the video clip and info from this blog.  We’re here to help and hope you’ll be back to read new ideas and information.

Dr. Gayle Schrier Smith and her Partners In Pediatrics

 

The DrDownload Blog

How To Talk So Your Kids, Big & Little, Will Listen

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 30 Jan, 2024
It's not what you say... it's how you say it. But sometimes, it IS what you say, and knowing how the experts communicate with children, big and small can often help parents. The post What Mothers Say Matters To Our Kids appeared first on Partners in Pediatrics.

Flu, Vaccines & Chicken Noodle Soup

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 01 Dec, 2023
With an organized roadmap to offer checkups and flu vaccines this fall, I’m proud to say that our practice vaccinated more than seventy five percent of the patients and the parents who come to us. It wasn’t an easy task, and there were some families who probably thought our email reminders were annoying. To you, […] The post Flu, Vaccines & Chicken Noodle Soup appeared first on Partners in Pediatrics.

How to Measure Medicine, Mary Poppins

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 01 Dec, 2020
Five years later.  It’s official. Kids, I’ll no longer be asking you to take a teaspoon of medicine. I’m making the call to action for the pharmacists who prepare prescriptions for my patients to kick back any prescriptions if I forget to write in milliliters. The American Academy of Pediatrics came out with the wise advice (they […] The post How to Measure Medicine, Mary Poppins appeared first on Partners in Pediatrics.

Get To Know Goat

By Gayle Smith • 29 Nov, 2023
FDA Approves Goat's Milk Infant Formula & the AAP agrees it's an excellent option to nourish infants who are not breastfeeding.

Guns? You Gotta Ask

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 10 Jul, 2021
When we ordered a new electronic health record, we picked one build for kids in an effort to improve the quality of the care we provide. One of the things it prompts us to ask about is guns in the home. I’ve always been in the habit of asking about a child’s home setting to […] The post Guns? You Gotta Ask appeared first on Partners in Pediatrics.

A Shot of Hope

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 18 Dec, 2020
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Richmond this week.  I’m calling it a shot of hope, and I couldn’t be more hopeful and yes, excited to get my vaccine. As a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, I am always careful to say when I’m speaking on their behalf and when I’m […] The post A Shot of Hope appeared first on Partners in Pediatrics.

Did You Know We Need A Real Children’s Hospital?

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 10 Oct, 2020
This week, it’s about our Children’s Hospital… DID YOU KNOW?? Did you know that I have written about and wished for a real Children’s Hospital for Richmond for more than twenty years?  We could split hairs on the definition of a ‘real’ Children’s Hospital, but I’ll wager that you know one when you see one. […] The post Did You Know We Need A Real Children’s Hospital? appeared first on the original DrDownload blog at PartnersInPediatrics.info

Get Better Faster With Love and Liquids

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 24 Sep, 2020
We call it Love and Liquids.  It’s what you do when your child is sick, and as the Fall unfolds, we’re pretty sure it’s going to be a very long winter of illness.  So let’s review the drill for how to get better. At first, you think it might be allergies, but really … you’re […] The post Get Better Faster With Love and Liquids appeared first on Partners in Pediatrics.

Coronavirus Decision Making

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 08 Sep, 2020
I just finished reading an excellent blog post by Emily Oster written to help parents make decisions in CoronaVirus times.  She blogs at CovidExplained.org I’ve grown fond of saying that we are living through history, and in some ways, it softens the daily blows that come with actually having to do that.  This Coronavirus has […] The post Coronavirus Decision Making appeared first on Partners in Pediatrics.

COVID-19 Tests. We Must Proceed With Caution

By Gayle Schrier Smith M.D. • 30 Jun, 2020
COVID-19 Testing. It’s a featured topic on 60 Minutes in late June, 2020 and their investigative journalism has some surprising discoveries about how the FDA allowed antibody tests of varied accuracy onto the market. “The wonderful, beautiful immunity.”  That’s how the President described antibody protection in folks who have recovered from COVID-19.  We know that […] The post COVID-19 Tests. We Must Proceed With Caution appeared first on Partners in Pediatrics.
More Posts
Share by: