Coronavirus

Urgent Care Locations

• Nemours Children's Urgent Care, Sanford is temporarily closed. 
• Nemours Children's Urgent Care in Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes and Kissimmee will close nightly at 8 p.m.

Primary Care Locations

As the situation with COVID-19 continues to change, we are taking some extra steps to protect our patients, families and associates. Beginning Monday, March 30, 2020, we will temporarily stop holding walk-in hours between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m, until further notice. Instead, we are offering additional appointments for sick visits.

• Nemours Children's Primary Care, Celebration is only accepting well visits. Sick patients can be seen at Nemours Children's Primary Care, Kissimmee.
• Nemours Children's Primary Care, Downtown Orlando will be temporarily closing. Patients will be seen at Nemours Children's Primary Care, Windermere.
• Nemours Children's Primary Care, Kissimmee is only seeing sick patients. Well visits can be made at Nemours Children's Primary Care, Celebration.
• Nemours Children's Primary Care, Longwood is only seeing sick patients (and is still open Saturday morning). Well visits can be made at Nemours Children's Primary Care, Maitland.
• Nemours Children's Primary Care, Maitland is only accepting well visits. Sick patients can be seen at Nemours Children's Primary Care, Longwood.
• Nemours Children's Primary Care, Palm Bay will close at noon on Friday afternoons.
• Nemours Children's Primary Care, St. Cloud is closed. Patients can be seen at Nemours Children's Primary Care, Lake Nona.
• Nemours Children's Primary Care, TLC Pediatrics is closed. Patients can be seen at Nemours Children's Primary Care, Oviedo or Nemours Children's Primary Care, Lake Nona. (Nemours Children's Urgent Care, Orlando - Waterford Lakes is still open, if needed.)
• Nemours Children’s Primary Care, Winter Garden patient services are temporarily moving to our nearby Windermere and Horizon West offices. Dr. Elton will be seeing children at the Windermere practice. To schedule an appointment, please call the Windermere office at (407) 351-0082 or Horizon West office at (407) 217-7979.

Specialty Care Locations

• Nemours Children's Hospital is continuing clinic visits M–F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for urgent, in-person visits.
• Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Lakeland is continuing clinic visits M–F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for urgent, in-person visits.
• Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Lake Mary will be closed March 30 and April 1, 2 and 3, but the ortho clinic will be open March 31, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for urgent needs and for patients to receive their scheduled injections. 
• Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Lake Nona is continuing clinic visits M–F for urgent, in-person visits. 
• Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Melbourne is continuing clinic visits M–F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for urgent, in-person visits.
• Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Orlando operations will continue as needed, M–F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Titusville is closed.
• Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Winter Garden will be closed March 30, 31 and April 2–3, but the ortho clinic will be open April 1, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for urgent needs and for patients to receive their scheduled injections. 

There are no operational changes at this time.

We are doing everything possible at all of our hospitals and primary, specialty and urgent care locations to protect patients and visitors, and limit the spread of this virus. This includes:

• following all recommendations from the departments of health in the states we serve on screening of patients, testing of patients and the use of personal protective equipment
• screening all hospital visitors for risk factors for coronavirus (COVID-19) exposure — all visitors are strongly encouraged to practice careful handwashing and cough etiquette
• evaluating patients who screen positive for risk factors according to recommendations from the state department of health
• setting up special areas to care for any children who show symptoms of the virus, away from other children and families
• setting up handwashing stations in prominent areas (handwashing has been shown to be the most effective prevention method — masking has only been shown to be effective for those who already have the virus)

The first thing to do is look at the symptoms. In children, the symptoms are typically mild and include nasal discharge, cough and fever, but your child is still able to perform normal activities like eating and playing. The symptoms are a bit like those of the cold or flu. 

Currently, there's no medication to cure a COVID-19 infection. We can only provide care to manage the symptoms. Kids with COVID-19 infections who are only mildly ill should be cared for at home until symptoms resolve completely. Children with a fever may be given acetaminophen. Mildly ill children should not be seen in an emergency room, urgent care center or primary care pediatric office. 

Moderately and severely ill children should undergo a medical evaluation. For moderately ill children (those who have fever, cough and have stopped normal activities like eating and playing, but aren't quite severely ill), we recommend a Nemours CareConnect visit. This on-demand, 24/7 service allows your child to be seen by one of our pediatricians through a live video visit, right from your desktop or mobile device. (A live video visit is as low as $0, depending on your insurance.) It's convenient for you and helps protect the health of our medical providers and office staff in times like this. 

You may also contact us through our primary care or urgent care locations. Please call to speak with a health care professional, who can evaluate your child's symptoms and provide the correct care advice.

Severely ill children (children with difficulty breathing, pain, inactivity or changes in alertness, and refusing to eat or drink) should be transported immediately to a nearby emergency department. (Call ahead so they can take steps to provide you with the right treatment and protect your child and others from further exposure.)

If you know your child has been exposed to a person with a proven or suspected coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, notify the state department of health immediately, and avoid contact with other people until you receive instructions from the department.

The availability of testing for COVID-19 is rapidly changing. Doctors, hospitals, commercial labs and local health departments are working together. If you think your child has symptoms of COVID-19, call your doctor. They will give you the most up-to-date information on how testing is being handled in your area.

Please check cancellation announcements above — most appointments are being moved to a telemedicine or video visit. Watch your email for your invitation to get started. 

All families visiting Nemours hospitals, primary and urgent care locations will be screened for risk factors for coronavirus COVID-19 infection. Children without risk factors will receive care as usual. Children who are suspected of having a COVID-19 infection will be seen in areas away from other children, to help prevent your child from getting the virus.

You may also see more handwashing stations. (Handwashing has been shown to be the most effective prevention method.)

We regret that, at this time in the best interest of the health and safety of all — especially your child — we are cancelling all Child Life, Creative Arts Therapy and School Programs events at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and Nemours Children’s Hospital, until further notice. This was a difficult decision to make because these events are so supportive of the care we provide. We will continue to evaluate over the coming weeks and hope to reschedule these events after we see a steady decline or absence of COVID-19.

We'll continue to care for your child while taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Children who have the coronavirus will be cared for in areas away from other children, to help prevent your child from getting the virus.

You should see all health care providers washing their hands frequently, and you may be encouraged to do so as well, because handwashing has been shown to be the most effective prevention method.

Many hospitals and other health care sites routinely test for human coronaviruses. These are not the same as the coronavirus causing COVID-19, which came from animals and moved to people. If you or your child has tested positive for a human coronavirus, you require no special treatment beyond what your doctor recommends. The symptoms for a human coronavirus are usually mild and last only a few days. 

Read this short article or this question-and-answer piece from Nemours KidsHealth, the Web’s most-visited site for physician-reviewed information and advice on children's health and parenting issues.

Read this article from Nemours KidsHealth, the Web’s most-visited site for physician-reviewed information and advice on children's health and parenting issues. This article has information on symptoms, treatment, and how to protect your child and yourself.

Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) websites for current information on the new coronavirus. For information in your area, check with your local public health agencies, such as:

delaware.gov
floridahealth.gov