BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — As the coronavirus became more widespread, Dr. Nathan Chomilo, a pediatrician at Park Nicollet HealthPartners became busy in a different kind of way.
"Keep that connection with our patients and offer those services through telehealth and video health services have been very helpful in decreasing the risk of having really overcrowded waiting rooms" Dr. Chomilo said.
Because guidelines for well-child visits have changed from the American Academy of Pediatrics due to the pandemic, Dr. Chomilo said they've been asking families with children over the age of two to delay their regular check-ups if possible.
However, he has encouraged families with children under the age of two to stick to their appointments as they are crucial. But he said those families have been discouraged from coming because of the pandemic.
He said this is concerning as a pediatrician.
"It's concerning for a number of reasons because in fact, this week is infant immunization week, where we try to highlight the importance of immunizations in that first year in particular," he said. "We're really worried about COVID as one virus but in that first year, we give protection to up to nine different viruses, five different bacteria. Things that you have seen outbreaks in the past like measles, whooping cough, umps, pneumonia, meningitis. Things we saw a lot more frequently before we had immunizations."
Dr. Chomilo said without the herd immunity built, he fears for what might happen when social distancing rules are relaxed.
"We will see these outbreaks start to pop up as kids go back to childcare centers and schools," Dr. Chomilo said. "And the fact that there will be this backlog, you'll be a little bit hard to catch up everyone right away and that might leave some who might have increased barriers--whether it's transportation or parents' ability to get away from work to get the immunizations--in a timely manner."
Plus, he said a well-child visit involves more than just vaccinations. It's also about checking in with the child's mental and physical growth. He said those things just cannot be done via telehealth.
Dr. Chomilo said he understands the concerns parents might have about coming into the clinic, but he emphasized that everyone at the clinic are taking safety very seriously.
"We wipe down all our rooms after every visit," he said. "We basically don't have a waiting room right now. You come in, check in and go right back to your room. We're decreasing any congregation risk as well. This is all to assure parents who want to be bringing those children two and under in."