Parents:

07/07/2022

Pediatric Covid Vaccines -

We will be offering the Moderna pediatric Covid vaccine on Saturday July 23rd between 9 and 1130 am at our Liverpool location. These are for children 6 months of age to 5 years. It is a 2 dose series. The second dose will be given on Saturday August 27th. If that date does not work for the second dose, you will be placed on a list for the next scheduled vaccine clinic. Pharmacies are doing children 3 yrs and older if these dates do not work for your family. Please call the office if you are interested in scheduling for the July clinic. Please choose the scheduling option (#3) to schedule. We will reevaluate additional clinics if interest is high.

Please call with any questions or concerns

07/15/2022

Dear Parents,

We in Central New York have been very fortunate to have such a beautiful summer so far. The upstate New York region has benefitted from so many days of sunshine, and we have not been subjected to the extreme temperatures and lack of water that is affecting a large area of our country. I hope many of you have been able to enjoy the summer with your children and have been “reconnecting” with your friends and family.

I thought I would provide you with some general updates on matters of interest, we will be starting our COVID vaccine administrations for children from 6 months to 5 years in about a week. We will be administering the Moderna vaccine, which requires a second booster dose after the initial dose.  If you are interested in having your children vaccinated, please contact our office. You may have also heard that the FDA has approved a new COVID vaccine produced by the Novavax Company. This vaccine is a more traditional vaccine, not using an MRNA or gene therapy approach. This vaccine uses the virus protein antigens to elicit an immune response, similar to how other traditional vaccines work.  The FDA approval however is initially for adults over the age of 18, and I presume pediatric studies are currently underway.  

In the past, I have mentioned my personal, scientific bias with regards to an effective vaccine approach for COVID.  Specifically, I have long held that the most beneficial approach to developing a preventative vaccine is developing one that stops primary infection in the respiratory tract, namely in the naso-pharyngeal area. Currently, there are over a dozen different nasal vaccines being developed to prevent COVID, which could be effective regardless of the vial mutations or changes which occur. This vaccine approach would be similar to that used for influenza, namely the Flumist vaccine.  In fact, recent studies have demonstrated that nasal flu vaccines may decrease the risk of contracting COVID because of its ability to stimulate immune protective activity in the respiratory tract. I am hopeful that we will be able to participate in a clinical trial for this very promising approach. 

We are awaiting information regarding the influenza vaccine for the upcoming fall season. It appears that there have been multiple changes in the vaccine as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, particularly considering that last year’s vaccine was less than 20% effective.

Another issue I need to remind you of is the subject of Lyme Disease. Given that we had a relatively mild winter and a nice summer so far, the population of Lyme disease carrying tics is very significant.  After your children have been playing outside, please inspect them carefully for the presence of tics or the tic nymph which is the side of a poppy seed. If your child has been bitten by a tic or develops a bullseye like rash, please contact our office for information and possible treatment.  Our office has also been asked to participate in a clinical trial involving the use of a Lyme disease vaccine, which we will be making available in the fall. I will keep you informed with more information when it is available.

Finally, I wanted to mention something about “Monkey Pox” that you may have been hearing about.  This viral infection which results in a characteristic skin rash has been diagnosed through the US and in New York.  This virus in general does not affect children and there has been no statewide report of pediatric cases. This disease primarily effects adult males and has been concentrated in the New York City area. I do not think this will be the newest viral scourge for us to deal with, thank God!

Please have a great summer and remember the sunscreen and insect spray for your children, stay hydrated and drink fluids, and please call us if you need a physical and vaccines before the start of the school year. Our physical appointments fill up quickly and we will do the best we can to accommodate your family’s needs.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Dracker

Go Fund Me Link to Medical Assistance for Evera:

https://gofund.me/58b8617a

01/07/2022: NY Covid19 Vaccination Registration -   http://vaccineform.health.ny.gov/

Covid Questions and Answers:  Covid Vaccine Q & A

Flu Vaccine CDC Study

11/5/2021 Office Update:

Please know that when you call our office it is our goal to help you the best that we can. Sometimes, there can be stumbling blocks and matters that may not be ideal. We are working hard to make sure our patients get the care they need with the utmost respect and urgency. Please as you call in or visit, know we are busy this time of year and sometimes we might not be able to help as quickly as we would have previously. We understand your frustrations during these times, but ask that you treat us just as you would want your family to be treated. Yelling, verbal abuse, vulgar language is not called for and will not be tolerated. We thank you all for your continued support and look forward to helping you all through this year and hopefully into a brighter 2022. If you have any questions or concerns, you are more than welcome to contact me here. 

Joshua – Office Manager

Please follow our Facebook @summerwoodpediatrics for more up dated information.

2/22/21: It is now an office policy that if you need to obtain a form or document electronically, you must have an active patient portal for us to send it to you. If you do not currently have access to you child's portal, please call the office for details. Thank you!

We now offer telemedicine appointments! For more info....