For Patients and Families

What to Expect at Seattle Children’s During COVID-19

As COVID-19 continues to surge in our community, we are following strict guidelines to keep your in-person visit and hospital stay as safe as possible. Here’s what you need to know about your visit to any of our locations:

We have several safety measures in place, including:

  • Visitor restrictions: only one parent or caregiver per patient at all our locations

    To maintain the social distancing guidelines that have been proven to help slow the spread of COVID-19, we have limited the number of people who enter our buildings.

  • Screening and testing for patients and families

    Upon arrival, patients and families are asked screening questions. Based on their responses, we conduct further screening and/or COVID-19 testing of the patient. Some patients are proactively tested prior to their clinic appointment or inpatient admission.

  • Everyone is required to wear a mask at all times

    Everyone, including patients, families and visitors are required to wear a mask at all times. If you do not have your own mask or face covering, we will give one to you as you enter the building. 

  • Strict Guidelines for Social Distancing

    We have signage and instructions for social distancing at areas of our hospital and clinics where people might congregate. Places like our family lounges and waiting rooms are being restructured to allow people to keep physical distance of at least 6 feet.

  • Mandatory COVID-19 testing before surgery

    All patients are tested for COVID-19 before their surgery or procedure. If a patient tests positive for COVID-19, their attending surgeon and our Infection Prevention specialist will make a determination about next steps.

  • Daily screening for staff and faculty

    We are screening all of our staff upon entry for signs of illness. If an employee is found to have signs of illness, they are referred to COVID-19 testing and asked to follow our standard work restriction policy as it applies to them.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information

You may have some questions about vaccinations against COVID-19. Here is the information we know so far:

  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of vaccines developed by the drug companies Pfizer and Moderna under what is known as an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
  • Before being approved for use, the vaccine went through the appropriate rigorous trials.
  • Seattle Children’s is following the vaccine distributions guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH).
  • At this time, the vaccine is only available to healthcare workers who are at higher risk of being infected and people who live in long term care facilities such as a nursing home.
  • The vaccine is not yet approved for administration to people under the age of 16.
  • We do not know when we may be able to start offering the vaccine to our patients and families. As this changes, we will update our information.
  • Although the vaccine is an important step toward ending this pandemic, it is still extremely important for all of us to continue following infection prevention guidelines such as wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings, observing hand and other hygiene, staying away from others when we’re not feeling well and staying physically distant whenever we have to share a space with people who don’t live in our home.

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit these trusted sources of accurate information:

Seattle Children’s is now starting to provide vaccines to pediatric doctors, pediatric long-term care facilities and other affiliated entities and vendors in our community who provide patient care or contact. Expansion to individuals and the larger public community will be based on vaccine supply.

Information about Getting Tested for COVID-19 Before Surgery

We require all surgery patients to get a COVID-19 test two days before their surgery or procedure. We will call you to help you schedule your testing time and place. In some cases, we will also require the parents or caregivers to be tested for COVID-19, in case the patient is admitted to a shared room after surgery. This test is a requirement for all patients and failing to get tested may result in the surgery being cancelled or postponed.

Testing Locations, Hours and Contact Information

Before going to any of the testing sites listed below, first make sure that you have gotten the referral and the appointment has been scheduled.

Seattle Children’s Sand Point Learning Center (drive-through testing)
5801 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

Hours: Monday through Saturday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Seattle Children’s Urgent Care Locations in Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way and Seattle

Hours for all Urgent Care locations:
Monday through Friday: 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Map and directions for Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way and Seattle.

Learn more about Testing and Follow-Up for COVID-19.

Access to the care you need, when you need it

As we continue to strive to decrease the number of COVID-19 cases in our community, we are taking steps to increase in-person visits to our hospital and clinics. We are also increasing our telehealth capabilities for most of our clinics so that we can continue to serve patients for whom a virtual appointment is best. Our scheduling teams will contact patients and families to offer reschedule dates for the appointments we had to postpone as part of our response to COVID-19.

Seattle Children’s remains open for patients with urgent and emergent needs during this COVID-19 outbreak. If your child needs urgent medical care or is experiencing an emergency, take them to your nearest emergency department without delay. For many patients, delaying care can have serious complications. Our Emergency Department in Seattle and Urgent Care clinics in Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way and Seattle are ready to care for your child. If you’re not sure where to bring your child, use our emergency or urgent care guide. If the issue is less urgent, call your child’s primary care provider.

Seattle Children’s is committed to keeping our patients, families and workforce safe from exposure to COVID-19. In addition to our existing robust infection prevention strategies such as strict focus on hand hygiene and isolation protocols, we have implemented additional safety measures.

Call center for Seattle Children’s patients and families

If you are a current patient of Seattle Children’s, their family member or a parent of a child under the age of 19 in our community, members of our team are available to answer your questions or connect you to someone who can. Call us toll free at 1-833-987-2100 or fill out a contact form with your questions and we will call you back. Contact form

If you need an interpreter, call 1-866-583-1527. Tell the interpreter that you need extension 7-2100 and the message you would like to leave.

Information this call center does not provide:

  • Test results or other information about COVID-19 testing. If your child was recently tested for COVID-19 at a Seattle Children’s location, please wait for us to call you with the results or other information.
  • Symptom checks or medical advice. If you have questions about symptoms or seeking medical advice, call your primary care provider.

Commonly asked questions about how Seattle Children’s is working to protect our patients, families and staff