Updated January 13, 2022

COVID-19 FAQs

What is a variant? Which variants should we know about?

Viruses change constantly, and sometimes those changes (mutations) result in a new strain, or variant. Some variants make the rounds while others disappear completely. This is normal and expected virus behavior.

Omicron is now the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States. It was first detected in South Africa in November 2021 and arrived in the US later that month. Early studies suggest that Omicron is more contagious than Delta, but causes less serve symptoms. Both the Omicron and Delta variants continue to spread quickly in areas with lower vaccination rates.

How does the Omicron variant affect children?

So far, there is no evidence that this variant is any more dangerous to children than other variants. We do know that it spreads more easily from person-to-person, so we must be extra careful and take precautions to minimize risk.

If infected with the Omicron variant and symptomatic, children show common COVID-19 symptoms—fever, cough, cold-like symptoms and possibly GI symptoms.

While testing is available and recommended, it is not 100% accurate as false negatives can occur. Due to the variant being so easy to transmit, until your child is well, they should remain at home.

When should my child be tested for COVID-19?

If your child has been exposed to COVID-19, we recommend they be tested within 3-5 days of exposure. Until you receive your test results, you should stay home and away from others. Please visit the testing section of our website for up to date information regarding testing availability and scheduling.

How long do symptoms last?

The most common symptoms of COVID-19—fever, cough, and other cold-like symptoms—typically appear between 2-14 days from exposure. While there can be long cases of COVID-19, most people recover within two weeks.

What are the current quarantine and isolation instructions?

There are different quarantine instructions for vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. Review our After Testing Guide for the most up to date information regarding quarantine and isolation.

If your child is vaccinated and was exposed, they do not need to quarantine unless they have symptoms.

If your child is unvaccinated and was exposed, they should quarantine for 5 days after the last known contact with COVID-19. You can carefully return to normal activity after those initial 5 days, but should wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.

Should my child return to daycare/school with the cases so high due to the more contagious strain?

Safe, in-person school is important for the mental and physical health of your child. The last school year was challenging for many families, and it is okay to feel overwhelmed with the thought of the new school year approaching. If your child is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, that is the best protection you can give them for a safe school year. If your child is too young for the vaccine, make sure those around them are vaccinated and if possible, wear masks when you are with those outside of the household.

VISIT GUIDLINES: Providence Health Systems, and most major hospitals in the Portland Metro area, have medical staff stationed at their entrances asking patients screening questions for COVID-19 symptoms. If you are suspected to or have symptoms, a Providence employee may escort you to and from your appointment at Sunset.

We are continuing to follow the guidance of Providence and ask that only the child being seen, and one caregiver attend appointments. If it all possible, please try to keep siblings and additional caregivers at home if they do not have an appointment. If your child or family has symptoms, please only have your family ride in the elevator.

We are encouraging our patients to keep their child’s regular appointments which includes their well child checks and are taking steps to maintain a sterile environment in the clinic and to ensure minimal contact among our patients.

We are dedicated to the health and well-being of you and your family, as well as our staff and other patients. Our physicians are following the guidelines of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the OHA (Oregon Health Authority). According to these authorities, there will be an increased need for patients to stay at home for minor illnesses.

Please call us if you believe your child may have been exposed. It is important to remain at home so as not to infect other individuals. Our medical staff will do their best to triage according to the guidelines of the CDC. Currently, the CDC recommends that persons who think they may have been exposed to COVID-19:

• Stay home at the first signs of illness.
• Take care of mild symptoms at home.
• For symptoms like fever or cough that are severe or cannot be managed at home, call your child’s pediatrician.

We have increased advice phone line staffing; however, we are experiencing extended wait times. We appreciate your understanding and patience.

COVID-19 Symptoms (similar to seasonal influenza):

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

To make sure that we are proactive in keeping your family and our staff protected, some of our medical staff may be wearing additional protective equipment like goggles, masks and face shields during appointments.

Ways you can prevent illness:

• Wash hands – wash with soap and water for 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday) or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if unable to wash hands.
• Avoid touching your face, mouth and nose with unwashed hands.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Avoid contact with others who are sick.
• When coughing or sneezing do so into your sleeve or into a tissue and then wash your hands.
• Clean surfaces like door handles and counter tops.

You may have heard news reports about a possible connection between COVID-19 and a rare but serious health condition in children called Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). For more information on what is known, symptoms, treatment and prevention, please click here.

At this time, the COVID-19 vaccine is not approved for use in the United States for anyone under 5 years of age.

Sunset is happy to answer your questions about COVID-19. Please call us if you have concerns. Here’s a list of other reliable sources to stay updated:

• For general information, call 211
• OHA Emerging Respiratory Disease page: www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus
• CDC COVID-19 page: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• CDC travel notice: wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
• CDC Quarantine page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fif-you-are-sick%2Fquarantine.html
• CDC COVID-19 Testing page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/testing.html
• WHO page: www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/novel-coronavirus
• Other helpful resources:
  • https://health.clevelandclinic.org/delta-variant-and-children/
  • https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Return-to-School-During-COVID-19.aspx
  • https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Cloth-Face-Coverings-for-Children-During-COVID-19.aspx

With the start of 2020 well underway, many insurance plans start a new benefit year which can mean patients and their families have deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums to meet. Parents are sometimes surprised when they get a bill from their pediatrician’s office for part – or all – of their child’s well visit. We are of course happy to review the billing record for any errors, but below we have outlined just a few common reasons you might receive a bill after your child’s well visit:

Reason 1: Your child’s insurance plan is not ACA-compliant.

• While new group health plans and exchange plans are required to cover all parts of the well child visit with no cost sharing, many health insurance plans are exempt from the ACA (Affordable Care Act) and, as a result, this requirement. These include existing unchanged health plans from before the ACA became law (“grandfathered” plans), government plans like Tricare or ChampVA, and membership plans like faith-based cost-sharing services.

Reason 2: Your child’s insurance plan is ACA-compliant, but you received some preventive services which are not part of the ACA-recommended list.

• The US Preventive Services Task Force puts out a list of services that ACA-compliant plans are expected to cover, found here.
• For example, routine vaccines (not travel vaccines) are on the list of covered preventive services. If a child received a travel vaccine as a part of a well-child visit, an ACA-compliant plan may not fully cover the cost of the travel vaccine, even though it is a preventive service.

Reason 3: Your child’s insurance plan is ACA-compliant, but you received some non-preventive services as a part of the visit.

• For example, lung function testing for asthma or an evaluation of chronic headaches might be done at a well-child visit. While both services help promote wellness, neither are included in the definition of a standard well-child visit service and may result in an additional charge based on the rules of your insurance plan. Some families only want covered preventive services at a well child visit while other families appreciate that a pediatrician can provide all the needed services at the same time, so you don’t have to come back for a separate visit. If you have questions about your child’s well visit, call our office and our nursing staff can speak with you about your child’s health concerns.

Reason 4: Your child’s insurance plan is ACA-compliant, but you received more frequent services than is typical.

• This occurs when well-child visits are scheduled closer together than what your insurance company considers to be “annual.” Some insurance companies pay for one well-child visit per calendar year. This means a child might have a check-up in September one year and July the next. Other insurance companies have more stringent rules and say that at least 365 days must pass between well exams. If not, the second well visit will be denied by your insurance company, and you will be responsible for the charges. Be sure you understand your insurance company’s definition of “annual” before scheduling the appointment.

Reason 5: Your child received ACA preventive services, but your insurance company does not recognize the billing codes your pediatrician used for that service.

• For example, vision screening for children ages 3 to 5 is an ACA preventive service. There are three codes commonly used to report vision screening in children: simple eyechart and two types of electronic instruments.
  • Some insurance plans recognize the eyechart code as an ACA code, but not the electronic instrument code. In that case, a family would have no cost-sharing responsibility for an eye chart, but they would if their child could not use the eye chart, and the pediatrician screened vision using an electronic instrument. Families might ask the pediatrician’s office to use the covered code – even if they pediatrician preformed the service using the other method. However, it is a violation of insurance contracts and federal and state laws to knowingly report the wrong code.
  • Other insurance plans might permit all the vision screening codes as ACA preventive, but not accept them when billed by a pediatrician. The plan may only pay for them when the family makes a separate trip to an eye doctor.

Any balances left to your child’s account are determined by your insurance benefits. Becoming familiar with your insurance policy is important for each family. Contact your Human Resource department or the member services department at your insurance company and they can provide you with detailed benefit information.

News of the new coronavirus (called 2019 Novel Coronavirus) has prompted concern about catching the virus in the United States. Although influenza viruses and coronaviruses have similar symptoms, the risk of catching the flu in the US remains far greater. Here’s what you need to know:

Influenza (Flu) Overview

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses.  You are most likely to catch the flu from someone in your household. Children, especially those younger than 5 years, are at higher risk for serious flu-related complications. The flu vaccine offers the best defense against getting the flu and spreading it to others.

Common questions and answers about the flu:

How do I know if I have the flu?

Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and fatigue. Some people may also have vomiting and diarrhea, which is more common in children than adults. People may be infected with flu and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

How do I prevent the flu?

The most important step in preventing the flu every year is to get a flu shot.  Everyday precautions like staying away from people who are sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and frequent handwashing also help slow the spread of germs.

Coronavirus Overview

Human coronaviruses are common throughout the world. The most recent coronavirus, 2019 Novel Coronavirus, was first identified in Wuhan, China and is associated with mild-to-severe respiratory illness with fever and cough. Currently the threat of contracting the virus in the United States is very low.

Questions and answers about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus:

What are coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that are common in both humans and animals. The source of the 2019-nCoV is suspected to be animals in an open-air market and is possibly a previously unrecognized bat coronavirus. It appears to cause a more severe illness progressing to pneumonia.

What are the symptoms of this coronavirus infection?

Common human coronaviruses usually cause mild-to-moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Zoonotic coronaviruses (viruses spread between animals and humans) can cause more severe symptoms and often progress to pneumonia.

What is the risk of this coronavirus infection spreading in the United States?

At this time, the risk of becoming infected with this new coronavirus in the United States is very low.

Coronavirus vs. the flu: Which is a greater threat?

To date, there have been 12 confirmed cases of this new coronavirus in the United States. In contrast, there have been at least 15-million flu illnesses reported in the United States since the start of flu season in October 2019.

Where can I get more information about coronavirus?

This is a rapidly evolving situation. If you have questions about coronavirus, talk with your child’s medical provider. More is being learned about this new virus every day and updates are available on the CDC website.

This blog is not a substitute for medical advice. Be sure to talk to your child’s medical provider with any questions.

This interim guidance is based on what is currently known about 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and transmission of other viral respiratory infections and this guidance may help prevent this virus from spreading among people in homes and in communities.

Symptoms

Patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:

• fever
• cough
• shortness of breath

CDC believes at this time that symptoms of 2019-nCoV may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 after exposure.

How it Spreads

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people. Many of the patients in the pneumonia outbreak caused by 2019-nCov in Wuhan, China had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients reportedly have not had exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread is occurring.

When person-to-person spread has occurred with MERS and SARS, it is thought to have happened via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. Spread of SARS and MERS between people has generally occurred between close contacts.

It’s important to note that how easily a virus spreads person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so. It’s not clear yet how easily 2019-nCoV spreads from person-to-person. It’s important to know this in order to better understand the risk associated with this virus. There is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with 2019-nCoV and investigations are ongoing.

Prevention

There is currently no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. Right now, 2019-nCoV has not been found to be spreading in the United States, so there are no additional precautions recommended for the general public to take. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

This information has been taken from the Center for Disease Control’s website. Read more on the 2019 novel coronavirus here.

This blog is not a substitute for medical advice, be sure to talk to your child’s medical provider with any questions.