COVID-19 Resources

PIDS continues to work to provide links to COVID-19 resources. Our sources include those provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and other organizations. COVID-19 updates and resources can also be found on the JPIDS website.

Federal Agencies

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Information for Healthcare Professionals
• Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthcare Settings
• Active Monitoring of Persons Exposed to Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 — United States, January–February 2020
• Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators 
• Update and Interim Guidance on Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Resources for Healthcare Facilities
• CDC Travelers Health Notices 

Partner Organizations

American Academy of Pediatrics:

If a patient is suspected of having COVID-19, follow the CDC Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Healthcare Settings.  See additional details on infection prevention and control in the pediatric ambulatory setting by visiting our partner, AAP policy statement.

You can prepare to handle suspected cases in your patient population in the same way you prepare for other respiratory infection outbreaks, such as influenza or RSV. The same principles apply:

• Keep children out of the health care system if it’s not necessary.
• Use telemedicine and other non-direct care, when appropriate.
• Review infection-control measures, including asking patients with symptoms to call ahead so they can be evaluated in isolation from other patients.
• Visual alerts to inform staff of symptoms upon registration and reminders about respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette Collaborate with hospitals and health systems on local response and to prepare for surges.
• Check with local and state health departments for information on specific local and state responses.

AAP – Critical Updates on COVID-19

AAP Webinars:

• COVID-19 Pandemic – Clinical Guidance for Pediatric Practices: Strategies for pediatricians to increase infection control practices in their office to protect patients and health care workers.
• Talking to and Supporting Children During a Pandemic: Helping clinicians understand how to talk to and support children during the COVID-19 pandemic, including how to help parents talk to their children.
• Disaster Management for the Pediatrician in the COVID-19 Response: Utilizing preparedness principles to mobilize pediatricians to adapt protocols, learn new models, and serve as champions for children in a pandemic.

Infectious Diseases Society of America

IDSA Statement on COVID Testing Resources

• IDSA/HIVMA Statement on Potential Lifting of Social Distancing Guidelines
• Press release:  Infectious Diseases Experts Support Trump’s Use of Defense Production Act
• Treatment & Management of COVID-19 Guideline
• Infection Prevention of COVID-19 Guideline
• Diagnosis of COVID-19 Guideline
• Serology of COVID-19 Guideline

JPIDS Articles

• Multiple Respiratory Syncytial Virus Introductions Into a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• The New Coronavirus, the Current King of China
• Estimated Burden of Community-Onset Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Hospitalizations Among Children Aged <2 Years in the United States, 2014–15
• Fever Without a Source in an Infant Due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2
• What’s New With the Old Coronaviruses? 

COVID-19 Advocacy Letters

• Order to Reclassify Civil Service Posts Will Compromise Responses to Public Health Threats
• PIDS and Other Organizations Commend HHS and DOD on Operation Warp Speed
• Recommendations for Increasing Vaccination Rates in Children and Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• S-FAR Stakeholder Letter on AMR and Preparedness
• Letter of Concern Regarding EcoHealth Alliance Grant Termination
• PIDS, IDSA, HIVMA Comment Letter to VRBPAC on COVID-19 Vaccines
• Statement on Authorizing State Licensed Pharmacists to Order and Administer Vaccines

Clinical Guidance and Protocols

• CDC resource Caring for Children:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children.html
• Washington State:  UW Medicine COVID-19 Resource Site
• CIDRAP University of Minnesota: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center
• MD+Calc: COVID-19 Resource Center

Events

• PIDS Conversation (Roundtable) on Reopening Schools
• St. Jude/PIDS Conference – 3 Part COVID-19 Webinar with Drs. Mark Denison, Jan Englund, and Hana Hakim (webinar recording)
• Explaining Coronavirus To Kids Podcast
• COVID-19 Webinar Recording:  The Seattle Children’s Experience
• California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative – California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative Webinar: Preparing Your Maternal and Neonatal Units to Respond to COVID-19
• UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh “That’s Pediatrics” podcast series: https://www.chp.edu/health-care-professionals/podcast/learn-about-covid-19-with-dr-megan-freeman 
• PIDS Webinar on Reopening Schools

Immunization Resources

Vaccinate Your Family has developed a set of materials to help educate policymakers and the public about the importance of routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Talking to People about the Importance of Vaccines during COVID (May 2020): This is a collection of talking points around current recommendations and what we are asking both parents and adults to do. Our main message is “Call, Don’t Cancel” to encourage patients to ask their providers if they need vaccines and whether it is safe to receive them at this time.
• Communication Strategies for Raising Vaccination Rates during COVID (May 2020): This document offers ideas for getting the talking points in front of the public.
• State Vaccine Policy Suggestions during COVID (May 2020): Suggestions state lawmakers can begin working on now in order to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Solid Organ Transplantation (SOT) Summary Points for School Entry

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised additional challenges regarding upcoming school entry for vulnerable children, including solid organ transplantation (SOT) recipients.  In response to mounting questions from families and SOT providers, a group of PIDS pediatric transplant ID physicians in collaboration with specialists with expertise in infection prevention, public health, and transplant psychology, convened to construct an expert opinion consensus statement regarding key considerations that providers and families can use as a framework when considering individual risk and shared decision-making about returning to school (K-12) this fall.

The statement summarizes available evidence, best practices, and consensus recommendations around key questions including:

• Review of host-related factors allowing for individual risk stratification for children who may be at higher potential risk
• Review of community and public health considerations that may impact the decision of returning to school in person
• School-related considerations including preparedness and optimal infection prevention measures to mitigate risk
• Review of the available published literature re: COVID-19 in pediatric SOT and school experience during the pandemic thus far

The full document is available online at the website of JPIDS (https://academic.oup.com/jpids/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jpids/piaa095/5880566) and has been supported by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation (SPLIT), the Starzl Network for Excellence in Pediatric Transplantation, the Pediatric Heart Transplant Society (PHTS), the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION), Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative (IROC), American Society of Transplantation (AST), and the organization of Transplant Families.  A summary FAQ document has also been made available for patients and families (below).

FAQs Regarding Return to School for Children after Solid Organ Transplant in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created many questions about returning to school for pediatric solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients and their families. While the risk of getting COVID-19 in school will never be zero when COVID-19 cases are present in a community, a team of pediatric transplant infectious diseases experts have provided information to help families make decisions with their transplant teams about school attendance for their child who has received a SOT (liver, lung, kidney, heart, or pancreas). These recommendations are focused on K-12th grade. When reviewing this document, it should be remembered that:

1. Currently there are many unknowns about COVID-19, so this document will be revised as we learn more.
2. No single answer is going to be appropriate for every child after SOT.
3. State and local officials will ultimately make decisions about when or whether schools will reopen this fall.
4. These recommendations are not meant to replace advice from your transplant team. While we hope that this document will be helpful, we would recommend discussing individual details regarding your school plans with your child’s transplant provider.

Download the return to school for SOT FAQ sheet for families

Download the back to school safety tips for SOT recipients

Additional Resources

• New England Journal of Medicine: Detection of Covid-19 in Children in Early January 2020 in Wuhan, China
• Children’s COVID-19 risks unique, Chinese studies find
• Society of  Refugee Health Providers
• WSPID – Features North American Resources 
• Open Letter from Stanford University regarding Dr. Scott Atlas
• SHEA’s COVID resource page provides offers a variety of tools such as policy statements, webinars, podcasts and research.