Please read if you have an appointment at PWG coming up

 We are in the middle of a COVID surge right now, and we’ve seen and heard from many of you who are currently recovering from COVID. In the interest of keeping everyone safe please reschedule your child’s appointment at PWG for any type of visit until:
* it has been 10 days since COVID symptoms started OR you/your child had a positive COVID test
AND
* you or your child’s symptoms are getting better
AND
* you or your child have no fever for >24 hours without Tylenol or Motrin/Advil.
 
We are prioritizing COVID PCR testing and seeing patients with COVID related symptoms during our early morning walk-in slots Monday – Friday from 8:30a to 9:30a. Please see earlier posts for details.

Update to morning walk in hours

We heard you loud and clear this week, it’s been really hard to find COVID PCR testing appointments for your kids. That is why we are pivoting to prioritize COVID PCR testing and seeing patients with COVID related symptoms during our early morning walk-in slots starting Friday 1/7/22. What you should know:
* walk-in slots are available Monday-Friday from 8:30a to 9:30a
* these walk-in slots do not require an appointment and are given on a first-come, first- served basis
* once we run out of walk-in slots we will be happy to make appointments for a later time/date
* we will not be able to manage complicated or chronic issues, medication refills, etc. during this time
* these walk-in slots are for established PWG patients only.
Team PWG is here for you!

New COVID booster recommendation for 12 to 15 year old adolescents

Yesterday the FDA authorized booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet on Wednesday regarding the authorization. Based on previous experience we anticipate they will also approve administration of booster doses of Pfizer’s vaccine for 12 to 15 year old adolescents.

We are prepared to follow this recommendation, we have plenty of vaccine and appointments available. Please send us a MyChart message or call the office at 650.216.7794 to set up an appointment. Note: we anticipate a very high call volume so sending a MyChart message may be more efficient. We’ll keep you updated as this story develops.

Coming in 2022: walk-in visit slots

Big News for 2022: we will now have limited walk-in visit slots Monday-Friday from 8:30a to 9:30a. What you should know:
* these will start Monday January 3, 2022 at 8:30a
* these walk-in slots do not require an appointment and are given on a first-come, first- served basis
* these are for acute issues like ear pain, sore throat, COVID testing with limited/no symptoms, pink eye, etc.
* once we run out of walk-in slots we will be happy to make appointments for a later date/time
* we will not be able to manage complicated or chronic issues, medication refills, etc. during this time.

 

COVID vaccine update 12/14/21

As many of you know, the FDA authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster for 16-and 17-Year-olds on 12/10/21. The booster was previously approved for all adults 18 years and up, and is currently recommended to be given six months after the last dose. As of this writing there are no booster recommendations for people younger than 16 years of age. On 11/2/21 Pfizer’s COVID vaccine was approved for kids 5-11 years of age. We currently do not have any information on when it will be approved for kids younger than 5.
 
We’ve been giving Pfizer’s COVID vaccine since May 2021 and wanted to give you a quick update on our progress so far:
* We have administered over 800 COVID vaccines to kids 5-11 years of age since 11/3/21
* We have administered over 500 doses of COVID vaccine to kids 12+ years of age since May 2021 when it was approved for adolescents 12+ years of age
* we are giving COVID vaccine boosters to adolescents 16+ years of age
* we have administered about 1500 doses of influenza vaccine since September 2021
* we are also giving influenza vaccines to parents of existing patients
 
We still have plenty of appointments available for COVID vaccines, COVID boosters, and flu vaccine. Just send us a MyChart message or call the office at 650.216.7PWG [650.216.7794] for an appointment. Team PWG [aka your vaccine dream team] wants to help you stay healthy this Holiday Season!

COVID vaccine update 11/3/21

You can download the vaccine paperwork that needs to be completed prior to giving the vaccine using this link: vaccineconsentform5to16
As you know, the COVID vaccine was approved yesterday for 5 to 11 year old children. We have the vaccine for this age group and will start to administer it this week. We are currently experiencing a very high call volume and message volume, please be patient with us. We are working as fast as we can to take care of everyone’s request for an appointment.
 
What you should know:
  • we will have enough vaccine for everyone who wants their child vaccinated
  • COVID vaccine will be given by appointment only, we CANNOT accommodate walk ins at this time.
  • if your child has an appointment coming up we CAN administer the COVID vaccine at that appointment, feel free to discuss this with your child’s doctor as well.
  • you cannot schedule a COVID vaccine through the MyChart app at this time, you CAN send a message to your child’s pediatrician through the MyChart app requesting an appointment. 
  • if you have any questions about the MyChart app please call MyChart Customer Service at (415) 514-6000. They’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

COVID vaccine update 11/2/21

Today Pfizer’s COVID vaccine was approved and recommended for 5 to 11 year old children. We have received COVID vaccine for this age group and will begin administering it this week. We will have enough vaccine for families who want their children vaccinated, and we will start making appointments tomorrow 11/3/21.
 
What you should know:
  • COVID vaccine will be given by appointment only, we CANNOT accommodate walk-ins at this time
  • the fastest way to request an appointment is by sending a MyChart message through the UCSF patient portal. If you are not signed up please go to https://www.ucsfhealth.org/mychart for instructions on how to sign up
  • we do not have any information at this time about when the vaccine will be available for children less than 5 years of age.

PWG COVID vaccine update 10-26-21

Pfizer’s COVID vaccine is very close to getting emergency use authorization for children 5 to 11 years old, today the FDA’s advisory committee endorsed the vaccine. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee meets next week to clarify recommendations, and once that occurs we anticipate the federal government to start releasing the vaccine the following week.
 
The vaccine formulation is different from what has been used for adults and teens – WE CANNOT USE THE CURRENT VACCINES FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN, we need to wait for the “new” vaccines to be delivered. The pediatric formulation is preservative free.
 
We’ve been administering the COVID vaccine to eligible patients in our practice since May of 2021, and we are actively planning strategies to get this vaccine distributed as quickly and as efficiently as we can to our younger patients once it gets approved.
 
What you need to know:
  • The fastest way to communicate with us will be through UCSF’s MyChart patient portal. If you are not signed up yet please go to https://www.ucsfhealth.org/mychart and follow the instructions.
  • We have already placed our COVID vaccine pre-order with San Mateo County’s Health Department and it has been approved, we are waiting for a shipment date.
  • COVID vaccines will be shipped out in multiple phases, we should have enough COVID vaccine for everyone who wants it
  • we do not have any information on when the vaccine will be available for children younger than 5 years of age
 
This is an exciting time, we are proud to do our part to keep our patients, families and community safe. We will be posting more updates as information becomes available.

Our PWG family just got bigger!

We are pleased to announce the birth of Dr. Megan Pesyna’s newborn boy, Mack! Both Dr. Megan and Mack are doing well and settling at home. She will be on maternity leave until January 2022, and our team of physicians is here to make sure everyone is taken care of while Dr. Pesyna is out of the office. Please join us in sending all good wishes for health and joy to Baby Mack and his parents. CONGRATULATIONS!

Flu vaccines are here!

We are using an appointment-based system in order to safely deliver flu vaccines to our patients. If you have signed up for MyChart access with UCSF that will be the easiest way to get an appointment…if you don’t have MyChart access just go to www.ucsfhealth.org/mychart for instructions on how to sign up. Our flu shot clinics start next week, here are some important details:

  • Flu vaccine clinic will be held in a pop-up tent in our parking lot
  • There can be 1 adult with each child
  • Everyone over the age of 2 years will need to wear a mask
  • We cannot accommodate walk-ins at this time
  • You can make an appointment for a flu vaccine by: 1) calling the office 2) sending in an appointment request using UCSF’s MyChart patient portal or 3) use the self-schedule feature on UCSF’s MyChart to set up a flu vaccine appointment online
  • This flu vaccine clinic is ONLY for the flu vaccine and ONLY for established PWG patients

Thank you for keeping your child, family and community safe this flu season! Team PWG… your vaccine dream team 😀