Maintaining Childhood Immunizations During COVID-19 Pandemic
[From Maine CDC 03/24/2020]
https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MEHHS/2020/03/24/file_attachments
/1409461/Routine%20Childhood%20Immunizations%20During%20COVID-19%20Pandemic.pdf
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing rapidly and continues to affect communities across the
United States differently. Some of the strategies used to slow the spread of disease in
communities include postponing or cancelling non-urgent elective procedures and using
telemedicine instead of face-to-face encounters for routine medical visits.
Ensuring the delivery of newborn and well-child care, including childhood immunization,
requires different strategies. Healthcare providers in communities affected by COVID-19 are
using strategies to separate well visits from sick visits. Examples include:
• Scheduling well visits in the morning and sick visits in the afternoon
• Separating patients spatially, such as by placing patients with sick visits in different areas
of the clinic or another location from patients with well visits.
• Collaborating with providers in the community to identify separate locations for holding
well visits for children.
Because of personal, practice, or community circumstances related to COVID-19, some
providers may not be able to provide well child visits, including provision of immunizations, for
all patients in their practice. If a practice can provide only limited well child visits, healthcare
providers are encouraged to prioritize newborn care and vaccination of infants and young
children (through 24 months of age) when possible.
The U.S. CDC and Maine CDC are
monitoring the situation and will continue to provide guidance as it becomes available.
Should you have additional questions, please feel free to call the Maine Immunization Program
at 207-287-3746.
Thank you for all that you do for the Maine Immunization Program and the children of Maine.
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