What are Coronaviruses?

By now, we’re sure you’ve heard about the novel coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

What are Coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (like we’re seeing right now) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. It is thought to spread mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Heritage Pediatrics would like to let you know that we are actively putting precautions into place to make sure that our patients and employees are as protected as possible. We will
continue to update any changes to our procedures via social media (Facebook and Instagram). If your child has any symptoms of COVID-19, please call us first before bringing the child to our office or any other public place. Also, we will be asking questions regarding symptoms, travel and exposure as a precautionary measure. Know that as of right now, healthcare
providers do not have access to test kits. This is a test that is run by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Things you can do to eliminate risk:

• Wash your hands with soap and water, frequently.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Cover your cough/sneeze with the inside of your elbow.
• Keep hands away from mouth, nose and eyes.
• Keep a social distance of about 6 feet from others.
• Refrain from shaking hands.
• Masks will work best for those who are sick, and are not as effective for those who are not sick.

If this virus becomes more widespread to our community, we will make changes/accommodations to our sick and well visit schedules.

The best resource to use for updates on CoVID-19 is the CDC website: