Information about the COVID-19 pandemic at the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital.
General recommendations to combat COVID-19
Following Department of Health guidelines:
- If you have to come to the hospital, limit the number of accompanying persons to two for children, and one for pregnant women.
- In the inpatient area, in case of visits, it is recommended that visitors are from the immediate family and stay for a limited time in the room.
- If the accompanying person has any symptoms (fever, cough, respiratory distress or general malaise), they should not come to the Hospital.
- You should come with a mask and wash your hands frequently.
- In some sensitive areas or certain types of testing, a screening test (PCR or ART, depending on the setting) will be performed to rule out possible COVID-19 infection. Where necessary, the patient and family will be informed in advance.
- Telephone and on-line care is part of the hospital’s new care model. If it is necessary, or where the consultation can be resolved over the telephone, patients will be offered this option, and in cases where it is considered useful to make a call before the visit in person.
- The hospital can be a hotspot for the transmission of infectious diseases. We must avoid infecting other people, patients and healthcare professionals.
We work to preserve the safety of our patients
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital has deployed a series of measures to ensure the safety of patients, their companions and professionals. The measures have been adapted in line with the evolution of the pandemic. At times of greatest risk during the pandemic, restricted areas were set up to treat COVID-positive patients, along with specific screening circuits and systems for disinfection, waste management and renewal of air ventilation, among others.
On-line and non-face-to-face care has also been reinforced, improvements have been made to the Patient Portal to enable consultations and formalities to be carried out, and the type of visit has been adapted depending on the needs of each case, giving priority to the appropriate care for those who need it most.
Training on all pandemic-related issues (protocols, clinical care, use of personal protective equipment or PPE, etc.) has been provided to more than 1,300 professionals at the Hospital, where vaccination has been extended to practically all employees and collaborators.
The implementation of all these measures, which have been adapted according to the evolution of the pandemic, has changed the landscape of the hospital since the health alert was declared in March 2020.
IMPORTANT: Do not come to the hospital if you have symptoms compatible with COVID-19 or in the event of close contact with an infected person. The telephone number +34 93 378 26 00 has been set up for changes or cancellations of visits.

Kids Corona study
Research has been and continues to be the main tool to fight the virus. To accomplish this, the Kids Corona platform was launched, with the aim of obtaining information on how the virus is transmitted in children, pregnant women and babies, how it manifests itself in our patients and how it behaves in different environments.
- If you have symptoms compatible with COVID19 or have been diagnosed, change or cancel the visit.
- If the accompanying person is unwell, another person should go to the hospital with the patient.
- A maximum of two people may accompany the patient to minimise risks in the hospital.
- The Paediatric Emergency Department operates normally and attends all patients who require it. If the patient presents symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath or general malaise), we recommend going to the Primary Care Centre.
- If you are pregnant, your pregnancy will be monitored at Sant Joan de Déu in accordance with current protocols. The Women's Department has drawn up a guide for our patients during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
- During childbirth, the recommendations for patients in hospital will be followed, which can be found on this page.
- If you come to the Outpatient Consultation you must be accompanied by only one other person. Both you and your companion must wear a surgical mask, covering your nose and mouth inside the hospital.
- Our Women's Emergency Department operates normally and attends to all patients who require it.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, feeling short of breath or general malaise), we recommend that you go to your Primary Care Centre and follow their instructions. The same procedure should be followed if you are pregnant.
Accompanying persons are key to ensuring that the Hospital is a safe place, both for paediatric patients and pregnant women. For this reason, it is important that you follow these rules during admission:
- Surgical masks must be worn, especially when professionals enter the room, covering mouth and nose. The mask must be worn at all times in shared rooms. Frequent hand washing is recommended.
- Notify the care team if you have symptoms compatible with COVID-19 or in case of close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19.
- There may be a maximum of two people in the room accompanying the patient if the patient is a minor. In the case of the Women's Area, there can only be one person accompanying the patient during admission.
- You may move around the hospital without restrictions, following the precautionary measures and wearing the surgical mask at all times.