Innovation Health: Ep 3 (Part 1) - Children and Covid-19

If you are a parent, the unique challenges of caring for children during this time of uncertainty can leave you stressed and worried. Children have needs that must be met for proper development and health, but meeting those needs under these circumstances are challenging to say the least. Is it safe to return to school, daycare, or to have playdates? What about the inflammatory disease that we are hearing about now? How susceptible to COVID-19 are children? 

In this two-part episode, host Alex Gaudin talks with Dr. William Lennarz, System Chair of Pediatrics for Ochsner Health. Dr Lennarz has been leading the care for pediatric patients at Louisiana’s largest health care provider, and has been helping shape Ochsner’s response to COVID-19 in children. He’s also been a valuable resource for the community, as schools and organizations looking for guidance during the pandemic consult with him on how to best return to operations. In this first part, they discuss COVID-19 symptoms, infectiousness, and how sick children get. They discuss multi-inflammatory disease and Kawasaki disease. Additionally, they discuss the effects of COVID-19 on "well" visits, and the need for continuing immunizations and development checks. Lastly, they discuss the safety of Ochsner clinics for children.

Look out for the second part of this episode coming next week, where Dr. Lennarz discusses the impact of the pandemic on children's development and what a return to school may look like.