10/13/22: The Latest and Greatest at WPG!!

Hopefully we are finally over all of our heat waves and getting into the Fall season now. We at whittier pediatric Group want to make sure all our families know about a few important issues:

FLU and COVID VACCINES

Many of you are aware that vaccines definitely save lives -- whether it's Polio, Measles or different types of pneumonia and meningitis vaccines, we are all much better off with vaccine prevention than the real diseases. However, many of you may not be aware that vaccines have been used in England and Europe since the year 1800, starting with the smallpox vaccine!

We still do not have the prevention against all infectious agents for our kids, but the scientists have developed a method to avoid or moderate against 2 of the most severe viruses: influenza and COVID. They are both approved for children 6 months and older and the updated bivalent COVID booster vaccine covering Omicron is approved for anyone 5 years old and older.

We are expecting a severe flu season this year (Australia's Winter this June saw many flu cases) and a winter surge with COVID judging from the last 2 winters. Data showed that fully vaccinated children against COVID half their hospitalization rates due to COVID. In order to protect our patients in time for he Winter, we've expanded our hours to include 5 Saturdays for vaccines with the following appointment times:

    • Saturday 10/22/2022 8:00 am - 12:30 pm
    • Saturday 10/29/2022 8:00 am - 12:30 pm
    • Saturday 11/05/2022 8:00 am - 12:30 pm
    • Saturday 11/12/2022 8:00 am - 12:30 pm
    • Saturday 11/19/2022 8:00 am - 12:30 pm

Please call now to schedule the vaccines. The spacing between 1st and 2nd doses of the primary series of COVID vaccines should be 4-8 weeks and the spacing for the bivalent booster after the 2 primary doses or a previous booster should be a minimum of 2 months. There are no boosters approved for 6 months to 4 years old yet.

HALLOWEEN

With many activities re-opening up again, you may be taking your children out trick-or-treating. Here are some important things we want you to keep in mind:

    • Be sure to wear light colored clothing and/or outerwear/backpacks with reflector strips to avoid not being seen at night.
    • Be sure to check that all the candies are in their original wraps before your children get to them. 
    • For added protection, wear masks if you are going door to door. 

Most importantly; HAVE A FUN, HEALTHY AND SAFE FALL & WINTER!

06/25/22: New Updates Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines!

Summer break is right around the corner! In order to make sure you enjoy your vocation and time off, so we want to make some COVID vaccine schedules easily accessible to you. Below are the resources we urge you to look into:

Now that COVID-19 vaccines for babies age 6 months through 5 years are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for children in this age group. Soon enough we will be able to protect our infants and youngest children with a vaccine--and ease the stress that has taken a toll on our mental health.

If you would like to learn more; Everything you should know about the COVID vaccine for kids under 5 years old can be found here.

06/17/22 : Greetings from Whittier Pediatric Group!

Summer is almost officially upon us and most families already have their kids on summer vacations. We’ve seen a few kids with heat strokes. Be sure to stay well hydrated. If your kids are involved in sports you may want to hydrate with sports drinks to replace electrolytes. Lots of sunscreen; young babies can use them too. Those of you with pools or are going to pool parties, remember you have to be within “arms-length” from children in the pool, especially if they are younger than 5 years old. You can use a baton system to hand off supervision to another adult so that not a moment goes by without adult supervision. See the link below for water safety. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Summer-Safety-Tips-Sun-and-Water-Safety.aspx

Also, an updated link regarding gun safety.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Handguns-in-the-Home.aspx?_ga=2.10828660.1950196554.1655402287-631434783.1655402287&_gl=1*1ftyejh*_ga*NjMxNDM0NzgzLjE2NTU0MDIyODc.*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*MTY1NTQwMjI4Ny4xLjAuMTY1NTQwMjI4Ny4w

The latest news regarding COVID vaccines:

FDA’s advisors are recommending the COVID vaccines for 6 month – 5 year olds. CDC is meeting this weekend and this younger group could potentially be allowed to be vaccinated as early as next week. So far, only Pfizer vaccines are approved for 5 – 18 year olds, but this latest approval involves:

  • Pfizer at 1/10 of the adult dose. 3 doses for completion
  • Moderna at ¼ of the adult dose. 2 doses for completion

The current 5 – 12 year old Pfizer dosage is at 1/3 of the adult dose.

The American Academy of Pediatrics stresses:

That unvaccinated children have twice as much chance of being hospitalized when they catch COVID as opposed to vaccinated children. Please have your children vaccinated for their own sakes and for the sake of family members around them, such as grandparents! Learn more below! https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/covid-19-vaccine-for-children/about-the-covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions/

See the table below from CDC for the schedule:

06/26/22: New Updates Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines!

Everything you should about the COVID vaccine for kids under 5 years old can be found here.

 

05/21/2021: Updated Eligibility for Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine

We would like to remind everyone that people 12 years old and older are now eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine! We recommend all eligible people to be vaccinated as soon as possible against COVID-19, so that together we can overcome this pandemic. Let's work together to keep our communities safe! For more information please visit: https:www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine.index.htm Also this weekend people 18 years old and older who receive their COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to enter for a chance to win a pair of season tickets to watch the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers! If you are interested and want to learn more, please visit: https://abc7.com/sports/chance-to-win-lakers-season-tickets-get-covid-shot-in-la-county/10669014/

04/15/2021: Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All Californians 16 & over can now get the COVID-19 vaccine!!

Spread the word today! If you or anyone you know have children 16 years or older and they reside in California, please do not hesitate to let them know that they may be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine! Please click on this link here for more details: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-15/how-all-californians-16-and-over-can-get-covid-19-vaccine

03/17/2021: Here is a quick fact sheet for Vaccines for People with High-Risk Medical Conditions or Disabilities:

If you have questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, please click here or the title above for more details. From Whittier Pediatric Group to you, we wish you stay safe and healthy during this pandemic. And rest assured, we will get through this together! This is a quick announcement from Whittier Pediatric Group. 9/14/2020 For information regarding COVID19 testing please visit: LA county Residents: https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/ Orange county Residents: https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-testing The New 2020-2021 flu vaccine is available. Please schedule an appointment for the new flu vaccine. Its recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months.

Announcement below was from 5/9/2020

Dear Whittier Pediatric patients, Hello, hope everyone is holding up ok and staying healthy. It’s been a challenging time for everyone, more so than we’ve ever experienced before. We wish you and your family well. If your child is due for a check up or follow up, or has missed a recent appointment due to the pandemic, feel free to call for an appointment - especially if they are due for shots. We are still keeping our office hours the same: M-F, 8:00 am – 12 noon and 1:30 pm to 5 pm. However, we’ll schedule well checks to start off the morning and afternoon sessions and the sick and follow-up appointments after that. The well checks will be scheduled from 8:00 am to 9:15 am and 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm. The sick and follow up appointments will start at 9:30 am and 3 pm. Those of you with previous appointments can keep them, unless you receive a call from the office to change. Besides scheduling the well checks and sick visits at different times, we also instituted the following due to the Covid-19 pandemic:

  • Waiting room chairs have been moved to comply with social distancing.
  • You also have the option of waiting in your car.  Just call to check in when you arrive.
  • Hand sanitizers have always been available in the waiting room. Please use them freely.
  • 2 restrooms with sink, soap and water are available in the waiting room.
  • If you can make arrangements, please only bring the patient to be seen with you.
  • No more that 2 adults can accompany the child; ideally, just one.
  • Persons older than 2 years old need to have a mask on at all times.
  • The staff will have a mask on and their temperatures checked at each shift.
  • Antiseptic cleaners are used between patients.

We also provide telemedicine when appropriate. Please call for the link.

3/16/2020

In times of unprecedented fear and anxiety, we just want to reassure our Whittier Pediatric Community we are still here during our regular hours of 8am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays. However, we ask that you call when you arrive for your appointment and wait in the car until we call you to enter the medical office. We now have a separate waiting area for well babies. The LA county department of public health and the CDC websites all have up to date and constantly evolving information. Let’s all wash our hands and stay healthy!

ABOUT WPG

Here at Whittier Pediatric Group we offer the best possible care for children, adolescents, and young adults. We have been in business for over 60 years and have cared for 3 generations of kids. We take same-day sick appointments and we welcome new patients. All our Doctors and Nurse Practitioners are board certified in pediatrics; some have additional specialty training and boards. Our ancillary staff consists of RN, LVN, and MAs. Many of our employees have been with us for over 20 years!

Resources

8522 Painter Ave, Whittier, CA 90602

P: (562)698-6266

F: (562)945-4530

Copyright © 2017 Whittier Pediatric Group. All Rights Reserved.