Here you will find regular updates from our doctors and links to reliable resources to help keep you up to date with the COVID-19 situation. Any changes to practice procedures or hours of operation will also be posted here.

The contents of this page rely on information from the CDC, AAP, Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).  We receive communication from these groups multiple times per day and are working to stay current and provide safe and appropriate advice and care to our patients.

When to be Seen at PPP

We are always happy to see your child in the office if you are concerned about their health.  However, with Flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses circulating, we want kids to stay safely at home if an office visit is not needed.  If your child has mild symptoms, our phone nurses will give you advice on homecare and let you know what to look for as signs that the illness is worsening and your child should be evaluated.  In general, children with respiratory illnesses can be managed at home if they are breathing comfortably, eating, sleeping and playing.  Fevers can be treated with Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen if your child is uncomfortable; if the fevers comes down with medicine and your child feels better (even temporarily) that is reassuring that the illness is unlikely to be serious.

Update – Sheltering in Place and PPP: From 4/3/2020 to 4/30/2020 the state of Georgia will be placed under a shelter-in-place order.  However, these orders permit you to leave the house for doctor visits and we remain open for illnesses and check-ups (which are critical to ensure children don’t fall behind on their immunizations).

This chart compares typical symptoms for colds, Flu, allergies and COVID-19.

Source: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. 2020.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta offers an online questionnaire you can use to help determine if your child’s illness is consistent with COVID-19, if testing is recommended, and if they can be managed at home or should be evaluated by our office:

COVID-19 Pediatric Assessment Tool

Most children with COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses can be comfortably managed at home.  If you have concerns about your child or are looking for homecare advice, please call our office.

Testing for COVID-19

Testing for COVID-19 is available through DPH for patients with significant respiratory symptoms. CHOA does NOT test for COVID-19 in their Urgent Care centers and Emergency Rooms.  While commercial labs (LabCorp, Quest) now have the ability to test for COVID-19, they do not have the ability to collect patient samples.  PPP does NOT have the protective equipment to safely collect samples for testing and CHOA does NOT collect samples for testing at commercial labs.

Update (4/10/2020): Governor Kemp announced that a new drive-through testing site has been open at a CVS near the Georgia Tech campus.  Testing is done only by appointment and will only allow testing for those 18 years old or older.

We continue to monitor testing availability for our patients and will update you as testing becomes more widespread.

Staying Safe

Like other respiratory viruses (Flu, RSV, colds), COVID-19 is spread by direct contact with saliva and other respiratory secretions.  Frequent hand washing is the best protection because it prevents any viruses that you have touched from entering your body through the nose, mouth or eyes.  If your child has any respiratory illness (cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, etc.) they should be isolated from others until the symptoms have resolved. Children can return to Daycare, school and other activities if they have been free of symptoms for 24 hours without medications.

Updated recommendations from the AAP counsel avoiding play dates and playgrounds to further social distancing.  To maintain social connections, help your child stay in touch with friends and relatives via Skype and other electronic media.

We appreciate your understanding as we work to provide the best care and most current information to our patients and families.  Please get in touch with us if you have questions or concerns.

Updated 4/14/2020