Cari Burton, a child life specialist in Prosper, was excited to see the children enjoy the festivities. Child life specialists help children cope while in the hospital and bring a sense of normalcy to the hospital experience.

“Some families may be missing out on Easter celebrations at home and with events like this we can still bring the joy of the holiday to them here,” said Burton.

 Las Vegas Trail Neighborhood Health Center

Across town in Fort Worth, the Easter bunny took the stage at Cook Children’s newest Neighborhood Health Center in the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood, connecting with the community.

The team at Casa de Los Sueños, a Fort Worth Housing Solutions community, bused their residents over to Las Vegas Trail Neighborhood Health Center. Families bonded, spending time together and hunting for Easter eggs. Neighbors relaxed together, enjoying the breezy spring weather. Children bonded while participating in all the outdoor activities, and the magic of Easter was spread to each child.

Cook Children’s Medical Center - Fort Worth

The Easter Bunny couldn’t leave North Texas without visiting patients and families at the Fort Worth medical center. Departments throughout the medical center set up a “bunny trail” to welcome patients, caregivers and families.

Tote bags made by volunteers were handed out to each attendee and taken to patient rooms for those who couldn’t go downstairs to the event. More than a dozen departments including facilities, nephrology and dialysis, and Mirror Mirror Hair and Nail Salon provided eggs filled with surprises.  

Colorful Easter eggs were hidden throughout the Medical Center Atrium at Prosper. In Fort Worth, children filled their Easter baskets with all kinds of goodies. Arts and crafts stations were set up, where children could create their own Easter-themed masterpieces. 

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the visit from the Easter Bunny himself. He visited patient rooms at Prosper on Thursday and at Fort Worth on Friday. Happy Easter from all of us at Cook Children's! 

Media partners may use this content for news stories with credit to Cook Children's.

Easter came early to patients at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth on Friday! From eggs and goodies to arts and crafts to visits with the Easter bunny – the day was egg-stra special. 

Happy Easter from all of us at Cook Children's! 

Media partners may use this content for news stories with credit to Cook Children's.

With more adults across the country getting a COVID-19 vaccine, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is vital to keep in mind that children 16 and younger cannot yet get vaccinated, and we all must do our part to protect them.

In an interview on Monday with Lauren Zakalik from WFAA, Justin Smith, M.D., a pediatrician at Cook Children’s Pediatrics Trophy Club, warns, “the risk outweighs the benefit of large gatherings for Easter because all children are not yet vaccinated.”

Dr. Smith says he understands parents are eager to let their children spend time with their fully-vaccinated grandparents and family members; however, it’s essential to take extreme caution this weekend and for the near future. 

“Anyone at a gathering who isn’t vaccinated could potentially bring the disease to the gathering,” Dr. Smith warns. “It is necessary to still follow the guidelines in place and not gather with several households until everyone can get vaccinated.”

Another critical point to remember is not only could spending time with other households potentially be a space to spread COVID-19, taking your children to large Easter egg hunts and other Easter festivities could also prove to be problematic.

“Social distancing can be challenging and it's likely there will be a lot of people unmasked,” Dr. Smith said.

As a physician and a father of three, Dr. Smith says large gatherings of any kind this Easter are not something he would be comfortable with his children or his patients doing.

“We are closer to the end of this than we’ve ever been, and I think we can make decisions for a short-term now that could potentially get us to the end,” Dr. Smith said. “I’m nervous about really trying to get back to normal right now when it feels like we’re so close, because I’m afraid it could set us back.”

While Texas has opened up vaccines to everyone 16 and older, it is not clear when younger children will begin to receive vaccinations. “Just like we’ve been doing for a year, we are advising adults to use caution and choose activities that are done in the safest way possible,” Dr. Smith explains.

Get to know Justin Smith, M.D.

But with the COVID-19 virus and the global pandemic, this isn’t any other Easter.

Over the past month, North Texans have worked together to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Still, with Easter weekend approaching, public health officials are concerned about a potential spike in infection transmission after the holiday, recently deemed Easter +5.

Easter +5 may occur five to seven days after the holiday due to traditions of family gatherings, travel and large Easter egg hunts.

“If we don’t get people to stay home for Easter, we are going to see a spike, and the spike will be patients who require ventilators, we’re going to see a spike in patients who don’t make it through the virus, and will die,” said Brandon Bennett, director of code compliance at the City of Fort Worth. “It is unacceptable. We want people to say alive, and to keep in mind that Easter +5 is not acceptable. ”

Bennett made the comments at the Fort Worth City Council meeting on Tuesday. What he’s concerned about has been dubbed the “quarantine pact” trend, in which families self-isolate and only interact with other families in the pact. While well-meaning, this behavior has the ability to infect the high-risk population. Both children and adults can be carriers of the virus and never exhibit symptoms. If families decided to get together for Easter, this problem could come to fruition.

Mark Shelton, M.D., an Infectious Disease doctor at Cook Children’s, says while up to this point children have fared better than adults, kids still run the risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus to high risk individuals who can become seriously ill from infection.

“Most individuals who are infected, spread the virus before they develop symptoms. Some infected individuals will spread the virus and never developed symptoms,” Dr. Shelton said. "Just because it is Easter, does not mean that we can't still spread this virus around. Large family gatherings, picnics or even multiple families gathering together in a home could spread the virus.”

As Texas approaches its potential peak, Easter weekend will prove to be a pivotal day to stay home and avoid public areas. Dr. Shelton asks families to continue self-isolating practices and hang in there for a while longer to ensure the safety of the community.

North Texas continues to have rising positive cases, however social distancing and self-isolating has improved the impact of COVID-19. The decisions made by families on Easter have the ability to impact the infection curve for the Dallas/Fort Worth areas.

“Texans have sacrificed quite a bit to mitigate the spread of the virus,” Dr. Shelton said. “People have stayed home from work, the schools had been closed, the churches have been closed and we are self-isolating and social distancing. We all need to hang in there a little while longer and do what we know that we have to do at this point.”

Easter Sunday is not an exemption from social distancing. Tips for an isolated Easter:

• Have your Easter egg hunt in your backyard. Do not have an Easter egg hunt at a park.
• Plan ahead to shop for your Easter meal to avoid last minute crowds.
• Attend church services online.
• Video call your family members instead of hosting a get-together

“So have a Happy Easter, call your friends and relatives, chat with them online and stay safe,” Dr. Shelton said. “This epidemic will end and we need to all do our part to make it happen soon.”

"Salmonella infection can cause bloody diarrhea, severe stomach pain, cramping, vomiting and fever," said Mark M. Shelton, M.D., board certified physician with Cook Children's specializing in infectious disease. "It can be very dangerous in infants and toddlers whose immune systems are still developing, and salmonella requires hospitalization once symptoms become life-threatening."

Many parents are unaware of the harm associated with giving live animals as pets for Easter. Watching your child kiss, cuddle or hold an adorable baby chick or bunny makes for a picture-perfect moment, but it can be dangerous to the child and incredibly stressful for the animal, too. It's easy to forget these delightful, tiny creatures will mature in fewer than 90 days and require long-term care and attention.

Once Easter is over, thousands of rabbits are surrendered to animal shelters or rescues, while chickens and ducks are often turned into backyards or fields to tend for themselves. The Humane Society of the United States recommends buying children a toy stuffed animal or chocolate bunny in place of a live animal.

"Holidays such as Easter - along with petting zoos and farm-yard exhibits - expose children to a whole host of dangerous bacteria," Dr. Shelton said. "Children pet the animals then put their hands in their mouths, rub their nose and eyes, and can become infected on contact. There are hundreds of E. coli (Escherichia coli) strains and even potentially deadly bacteria and germs that can cause children severe illness or even permanent damage to the brain or kidneys."

Dr. Shelton recommends parents ensure children wash their hands thoroughly after touching and playing with any animal.

"We don't want to prevent children from enjoying and learning about animals," Dr. Shelton said. "But it is important they stay healthy by taking the proper hygienic measures."