I hope this latest update finds you and your loved ones well.
Our practice is here to support you as usual.
I wish you all the very best,
Dr Yiannis
Welcome to Childhealthy
COVID-19 one year on.
Before you go…
Welcome To Childhealthy
I hope you all enjoyed the Easter break and have managed to reconnect with a few friends and family outside now the COVID-19 restrictions are beginning to lift. I feel like there’s a renewed sense of hope and positivity all around at the moment, long may it last.
There are some exciting new beginnings happening at our practice too, with the launch of our new name, Childhealthy.
Childhealthy has come about thanks to the growth of the practice. I’m really excited about this development. My goal is to provide more services and access to recommended paediatric specialists, therapists, health information and resources to support parents and families to keep their children, of all ages, healthy.
Childhealthy will operate under more of a group practice model, so there will be more available for you. There is no change to my personal role, I am always here and actively involved in all aspects of the practice as usual.
Keep an eye out for our new website www.childhealthy.co.uk coming soon which has all of the same great content and more, with a refreshed look and feel that I hope you all love. Please do send any feedback and let me know what you think of it.
We will send out further communication with updated contact details and web addresses soon! All contact emails and telephone numbers remain active.
COVID-19 One Year On.
It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year since I sent out my first Coronavirus advice letter. Back in March 2020, the seriousness of the virus took hold and as we all went into lockdown, we could hardly imagine that our lives would change so much in a year.
By my April update, with precautions in clinic already in place, we knew that thankfully, children are less affected by the virus. There was some excellent information emerging like this helpful flow chart developed by the Royal College to advise parents regarding seeking medical help if they are concerned their child is unwell.
I also discussed the multi-system inflammatory syndrome that has features in common with other well-recognised inflammatory conditions that affect children, such as Kawasaki disease.
This syndrome is now known as paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 (PIMS). There is published guidance on how this is managed and again reassuringly, the numbers of children affected are still very small.
By May, many children were heading back to school. At the time, the decision of whether to send your child back to school or not, was a tricky one for many families. My advice was to balance the risks for your own situation because every family is different.
By the time my June newsletter went live, lockdown restrictions were easing for the first time and we looked forward to a more sociable, but still socially distanced summer.
However, rising cases seemed inevitable after the nationwide lockdown ended and again and by September, cases were on the rise, and our worries were too. I talked about how important it is to keep up to date with vaccinations including flu.
By November we were back in lockdown and December brought with it a difficult time for many over the Christmas period, but also some hope on the horizon as the vaccine roll-out was announced.
My New Year newsletter came with tips on how to keep spirits up and look after your family’s well-being in lockdown with many of us juggling work, homeschooling and childcare commitments.
News of new variants of the virus was emerging but to date, there is no evidence of there being an increase in the severity of illness among children with COVID-19.
My last newsletter brought us more positive news. Schools reopened and the vaccine roll-out was going from strength to strength. There’s progress on the vaccination front for children too with the first vaccine trials for children beginning in the UK and abroad.
And that brings us to today, one year on. It has understandably been a worrying year for parents, and of course, as a parent myself, I have shared these worries too. We are keeping on top of the ever-changing advice and guidance at the practice and the good news is that the future is looking somewhat brighter for us all.
You can refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page any time to keep on top of COVID-19 advice. These are updated as new information comes in to keep you as up-to-date as possible.
Before You Go…
As always, we are all here and available to support you with your child’s health.
Our virtual First aid training classes are continuing with new sessions added. Please pass on the details to other parents, NCT groups, grandparents and all carers. Larger group discounts are available. You can book onto a class by emailing firstaidtraining@doctoryiannis.com.
Do you have a question or topic that you would like addressed/covered through this newsletter? Please email ask@doctoryiannis.com and I will aim to include this in the next update.
Further resources:
RCPCH report paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS)
Latest coronavirus information and advice.
