Thank you for making our 6th Annual Flulapalooza a resounding success!

Dear JCP Families:

Thank you for making our 6th Annual Flulapalooza a resounding success! On Saturday we were able to vaccinate 375 people. Thanks to our amazing JCP team, the day went smoothly and, besides the momentary pinch of the shot, was fun for all.

Vaccines and the News
Confusing and conflicting recommendations are causing fear and doubt about which vaccines are necessary, which are safe, and what to do about living in a time when more people are refusing vaccines.

• First, all recommended vaccines are safe. Any medication or vaccine can cause side effects. Fortunately, with vaccines, these are extremely rare. A reputable source for vaccine information is Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania’s Vaccine Information Center ( Vaccine Education Center | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ). Here you can find a deep dive into the facts about vaccines, uninfluenced by BigPharma or politics.
• Declining rates of measles vaccination is of great concern. Measles vaccine is one of the “M’s” in MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella). This vaccine is given at 12 months and 4 years. An accelerated schedule is available for those traveling internationally or to places where there is an outbreak or concern for exposure. MMR can be given as young as 6 months; however, the dose does not count toward being fully vaccinated. The second vaccine can be given sooner than 4 years of age, as long as it has been at least 1 month from dose 1. Contact our office if you have questions.
• Flu Vaccines continue to be important in terms of protecting from severe flu and avoiding large numbers of sick people that can overwhelm our medical care facilities. We will continue to vaccinate throughout the flu season all children 6 months and older.
• COVID Vaccines are recommended by our infectious disease doctors at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the American Academy of Pediatrics for anyone over 6 months of age. For practical reasons, our practice is not offering COVID vaccines. Parents may choose to vaccinate or not vaccinate against COVID. We are happy to discuss pros and cons. We are happy to provide a prescription if you seek a COVID vaccine somewhere that requires it. Call ahead to verify availability. A few resources for COVID vaccines are as follows:
  • All ages
    • Forsyth County Health Department 770 781 6900
    • North Fulton Health Department 770 520 7241
    • Gwinnett County Health Department GNRHealth.com
  • Age 3 and up (prescription required for children)
    • Walmart
    • Walgreens
  • Age 12 and up
    • Publix
• RSV protection is recommended for all infants who are under 8 months old as of October 1st, unless the mother was vaccinated for RSV at least 2 weeks prior to delivery. Babies receive a one time dose of the manufactured antibody during their first fall/winter. This medication is not a vaccination and confers immediate protection as the antibodies are what is injected. There is no delay waiting for an immune response. This vaccine can be given at the time of a well visit.

To clarify our practice’s vaccine policy, we do require our patients to be vaccinated on schedule with all required vaccines. The vaccines that are not required for school are still important, make no mistake. However, if you decide not to get vaccines that are recommended but not required, you can still come to Johns Creek Pediatrics.

We want to be a voice of reason in a confusing time. Please let us know how we can help.

Happy Fall, Y’all!

Dr. Karen Dewling and the entire Johns Creek Pediatrics Staff