Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Is there any way I can prevent getting COVID-19?

The best way to prevent getting COVID-19 is to have your child:

• Avoid large public gatherings for the time being – especially if your child is ill or starting to feel ill
• Practice proper hand hygiene by washing your hands often and for 20 seconds with warm water and soap as recommended by the CDC or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer
• Avoid touching their face especially eyes, mouth and nose
• Coughing or sneezing into their elbow or use a tissue and throw it away immediately after
• Keep a distance of at least 6 feet between themselves and anyone who is coughing or sneezing (sometimes called social isolation)
• The majority of household cleaners will be able to disinfect or ‘kill’ the virus and should be used to wipe down common surfaces at home (doorknobs, toys, bathrooms, TV remotes, etc.).

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These methods are also general best practices to prevent seasonal flu or other respiratory viruses.

What do I do if my child or myself start showing symptoms?

If your child, yourself or someone else in your household start to show symptoms, the best thing to do is first call your child’s Primary Care Provider or your local/state health department. They will be able to direct you to the best resource or nearest testing site should testing be needed. Even if your child has a mild case of COVID-19 or other illness, you should have them:

• Stay home from school or other public areas
• Stay home from work (for adolescents/teenagers)
• Avoid sports or other extracurriculars
• Avoid taking public transportation, ride-sharing services or taxis

IU Health is also offering free virtual screenings to individuals in Indiana regardless of age through the IU Health Virtual Visit App. Learn more about how to access this free screening.

If your child or yourself have a medical appointment (doctor, dentist, physical therapy, etc.) that was scheduled before becoming ill, please call the office ahead of time and tell them your symptoms to see if it’s ok for you to still come in or if you will need to reschedule.

Are there currently any treatments?

Currently, there are no approved treatments for COVID-19. If you or your child begin to show symptoms, the best thing to do is to stay home and call your doctor or local/state health department for any next steps.

If at any time your child or someone in your household is having difficulty breathing that’s outside of nasal congestion, vomiting, not keeping down fluids or has a temperature above 104 degrees, it’s time to seek help and visit the nearest Emergency Department or call 9-1-1.

If my child’s school is closed, will there still be meal assistance or can I pick up their medications?

In the event your child’s school is closed, you should reach out to the school or school district directly to see if they are still offering meal assistance programs for students in need. Many school districts are offering designated times for their families to go and pick-up meals should they need assistance.

If your child has medications at school, it’s also best to call and see if there is a designated time or process to be able to retrieve them while the school is closed.

What are the current visitor restrictions?

Visitor restrictions are currently in place at all IU Health facilities to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. Updated visitor restrictions can be found at rileychildrens.org/covid-19-updates.

How can I communicate with patients who are in the hospital?

We understand that for many of our patients, their families and loved ones the recent visitor restrictions can be frustrating. We encourage those who would like to remain in contact with their loved ones while they're in the hospital to utilize virtual video resources such as Skype or FaceTime. We also offer patient postcards that can be sent to your loved ones in the hospital to let them know you're thinking of them and provide words of encouragement. Submit a patient postcard.

What should I do if my child had a surgery or doctor's appointment scheduled previously?

As of March 16th, IU Health has postponed all non-emergent surgeries. For the safety of our patients, some outpatient appointments may be rescheduled so that our care teams can be available for those patients who have immediate needs. If you have an appointment that needs to be rescheduled an IU Health care team member will contact you with more information. For those appointments that cannot be postponed, options will include virtual visits through the IU Health Virtual Visit app, visits by phone, as well as in-person visits. If we do not contact you to reschedule please plan on arriving for your appointment at your scheduled time.

To allow our care team to focus on patients with appointments in the next few days we kindly ask that those patients who do not have appointments within the next 3 days to wait until closer to the appointment day before contacting us. We realize that this could be frustrating and we are working hard to support all of our patients.

If your appointment is within the next 3 days and you have questions or would like to confirm your appointment please call your doctor’s office. Our full-provider directory can be found at rileychildrens.org/find-a-doctor.

Key Points to Remember

• While children have seemed to only have mild cases of COVID-19, they are at risk of spreading it to others who may be more vulnerable, such as older people, those who are immunocompromised or those with existing medical conditions.
• Practice proper hand hygiene by washing your hands often and for 20 seconds with soap and warm water. Alcohol based hand sanitizers may also be used.
• Avoid going out in public if you or your child start to feel ill or begin showing symptoms.
• Call your child’s doctor or local/state health department if they start to begin showing symptoms for next steps.