COVID-19 in babies and young children can sometimes mimic the characteristic symptoms of the upper-respiratory infection known as croup: Barky cough and whistly breathing sound.  That’s why your pediatrician might be recommending that patients with c...

You might notice something new from Cook Children's on local TV.  We've launched several PSAs regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and children ages 5-11. Cook Children's physicians and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker tell us why they support COVID-19 vacci...

The number of children being treated at Cook Children’s Medical Center for COVID-19 is at an all-time high. Today, 69 pediatric COVID-19 patients are in the hospital. Nine of those are currently waiting in the Emergency Department for an available be...

It started with a sore throat, then she lost her voice. Three days later test results confirmed Haylee Richard, 16, a Denison High School junior, had Covid-19.Her mom, Hillary Richard, was concerned, but not overly. She kept an eye on her eldest daug...

By Bianka Soria-Olmos, D.O.Mixed emotions including frustration, worry and anxiousness (to name a few) fill my being yet again on the eve of the day my kids return back to school. It is no longer a new experience for me or the many other parents who ...

Pediatric COVID-19 cases skyrocketed this past week, with Cook Children’s Medical Center reporting one-in-three children tested turning up positive—all less than a month after the first omicron case was reported in North Texas.Positive cases now acco...

North Texas now has its first case of the omicron variant of COVID-19, according to the Dallas Morning News. Ayass Bioscience, a testing lab in Frisco, confirmed two cases of the new variant Wednesday night involving a 35 and 40-year-old. Neither has...

Now that children as young as 5 can get the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, parents might be wondering how to make the shot as smooth and painless as possible.It’s not uncommon for kids to be nervous about needles. So the experts at Cook Children’s offer...

Marc Mazade, M.D. gets a lot questions of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially now that it's available for children ages 5 to 11. As medical director of Infection Control and Prevention at Cook Children’s Medical Center, he wanted to provide answers to s...

Now that the CDC has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for kids ages 5-11, here are my predictions as to what will happen:One-third of you will RUN, not walk, to get it.One-third of you will absolutely refuse it, for varying reasons.One-thir...

The first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 has arrived at Cook Children’s Medical Center. This morning, the health care system received enough doses to vaccinate more than 3,000 children. Cook Children's will so...

By Ashley Pagenkopf, MS, CCLSA little over 18 months ago, I wrote the article “Everyone is Grieving Something.” So much has happened since that time – so much that none of us could have anticipated. That was only a month into the pandemic, and I had ...

Due to the latest surge of COVID-19, Cook Children’s Medical Center is rescheduling all elective surgeries that require inpatient admission to Oct. 11 or later. We’re taking this extraordinary step to utilize Cook Children’s perioperative RNs in othe...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D. Let’s imagine a scenario that no parent wants to think about.Let’s say your child starts acting weird over the past few weeks. She seems tired. She’s sleeping more, and laying around all the time.She starts to drink more water....

It’s alarming but not uncommon these days in health care settings to see children and teens who gained a significant amount of weight in the past year … 20, 30, 40 or even 50 pounds.What played a role? In some cases, junk food and lack of exercise as...

This photo series documents the week of Aug. 30, 2021 at Cook Children's Medical Center. ...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D.Hey friends. Our phone lines are blowing up with exposure and quarantine questions. I love that you guys are calling – it’s the right thing to do! And we are here for ya.But just wanted to spell out some common scenarios so that...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D.I am a doctor.As a doctor, I enjoy talking with my doctor friends.I text with other doctors, am in Facebook groups with other doctors, and enjoy sharing a nice meal or drink with them pretty often.I am a lucky doctor. I have man...

Due to a record number of patients, the Urgent Care Centers at Cook Children’s are making changes to accommodate our patient families and to ensure that their staff can continue providing excellent care.Beginning today, the following changes will tak...

What does the FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine mean?Today’s announcement means the public can be very confident that this vaccine is safe, effective and meets the highest standards for manufacturing quality. Since becoming avail...

Shanna Combs, M.D., pediatric gynecologist, answers your questions.As parents, we want to make the best decisions for our baby. We’ve been asked a lot lately if it’s safe for pregnant women, or women planning on becoming pregnant, to get the COVID-19...

The Cook Children’s Emergency Department (ED) has seen a big influx of parents bringing in children who have been exposed to COVID-19 but show no symptoms. Children who aren’t critically-injured or ill should go instead to their pediatrician or a COV...

An 11-year-old Abilene boy had been sleepy and lethargic since being diagnosed with COVID-19. Within a month, he was being treated in Cook Children’s intensive care unit for low blood pressure, facial swelling, rash and other symptoms. Doctors diagno...

By Marc Mazade, M.D., medical director of Infection Control and Prevention at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Staring up at this totally massive wave of COVID-19Δ, upper classmen and student leaders need to take charge of their own future. To keep sc...

To the leadership at North Texas Regional Schools:We, the physicians at Cook Children’s Health Care System, are directly connected to the district or school either as concerned parents or as pediatricians who care for the children we mutually share w...

There are currently 16 patients being treated at Cook Children’s Medical Center for COVID-19, and medical professionals worry the new school year could drive hospitalizations up even further. Just weeks before students head back to class in person, C...

Cook Children’s Health Care System is taking a swing at COVID-19 by requiring its workforce to be fully vaccinated by noon on Sept. 27.This means all employees, physicians, providers, credentialed staff, students, volunteers, contractors and on-site ...

Cook Children’s Health Care System announced today it is instituting a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. Every Cook Children’s employee, physician, provider, credentialed staff, student, volunteer, contractor and on-site vendor will be required ...

By Marc Mazade, M.D., medical director of Infection Control and Prevention at Cook Children’s Medical Center1. Make sure all children are up to date on the routine childhood vaccinations needed for school entry. Access to medical offices, fear of lea...

By Diane Arnaout, M.D. The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that all children over age 2 wear masks in school this fall. The internet rejoiced, everyone agreed it was a great plan, scientists and politicians shook hands, and no one had ...