Hello NAP Families,
With school back in full swing and the “sick season” upon us, we wanted to take a moment to review current Covid guidelines as stated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Please see below for a nice table describing these recommendations based on different scenarios:
Please note that the period of infectiousness can last longer than 5 days after symptoms improve and can vary person to person. We ask that you use your best judgement when spending time with anyone at higher risk for severe Covid infection, or in large groups of people, while you are recovering to help limit spread. Continuing to mask up to 10 days after symptom onset when you are not able to avoid these groups can also be an effective strategy to prevent ongoing transmission. The CDC recommends all people ages 6 months and older receive Covid vaccination each year. The vaccine is safe and effective in decreasing the risk of severe outcomes from Covid infections and to help limit spread throughout our population. If your family has not yet received your Covid vaccine for this year, please contact our office to discuss options for having this done.
In other news . . . Acute Care is coming back to Amherst!!
Starting this Friday November 1st, 2024, NAP will again start offering Acute Care sick visits in our Amherst office. We know it has been a significant strain on families living in the Amherst area to have to drive to Northampton for these visits over the past few years. We thank you for your patience as we worked to adapt our clinical flow to ensure the safety of everyone who visits our offices. Amherst Acute Care appointments will be available to book directly on MyChart or by calling our office. As a reminder, these appointments are to be used for ACUTE issues only (sore throat, ear pain, injury, etc) and not for complex or chronic issues that need to be addressed by your primary care provider who knows your child best. If you need to be seen urgently for a chronic issue, please call our office and we will get this booked with your PCP within the week.
Have a healthy and fun fall season!
Northampton Area Pediatrics