Hospitalizations in children too young for COVID shots have skyrocketed in the United States
Hospitalizations in children too young for COVID shots have skyrocketed in the United States
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According to official data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccination, hospitalizations of US children under the age of 5 with COVID-19 have climbed to their highest level since the pandemic began.

According to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the alarming rise in children who are too young to be vaccinated highlights the need of older children and adults getting their vaccines to help safeguard those around them.

With the extremely contagious omicron variety spreading rapidly across the country, the hospitalisation rate among these youngest infants has risen to more than 4 per 100,000, up from 2.5 per 100,000 in mid-December.

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According to the CDC data, which is taken from over 250 hospitals in 14 states, the prevalence among children aged 5 to 17 is around 1 per 100,000.

“Pediatric hospitalizations are at an all-time high,” Walensky said.

She pointed out that just about half of children aged 12 to 18 are fully vaccinated, and only 16% of those aged 5 to 11 are.

Children and teenagers have the lowest overall hospitalisation rate of any age group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they account for less than 5% of new hospital admissions on a daily basis.

The CDC further speculated that the increase could be due in part to the way COVID-19 hospitalizations are characterised in this age group: a positive virus test within 14 days of admission for any reason.

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Dr. John McGuire, critical care chief at Seattle Children’s Hospital, believes the severity of illness among children during the omicron wave was lower than it was with the delta variation.

In an email, McGuire noted, “Most of the COVID+ kids in the hospital are actually not here for COVID-19 disease.” “They’re here for various reasons, but they tested positive for something.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, said earlier this week that while omicron appears to cause less severe disease overall, the sheer number of infections due to its extreme contagiousness will mean that many more children will become infected, with a portion of them ending up in the hospital.

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Many COVID-19-infected youngsters, according to Fauci, have underlying health problems that render them more vulnerable to the virus’s complications. Obesity, diabetes, and lung illness are among the conditions that fall into this category.

One of the best methods to safeguard the youngest children, according to Fauci and Walensky, is to vaccinate the rest of the population.

The increase of hospitalizations only adds to the anxiety of some parents.

Emily Hojara and Eli Zilke of Sawyer, Michigan, are taking extra precautions with their 2-year-old daughter Flora. They limit her interactions with other children, and no guests, even grandparents, are permitted in the house unless they are masked.

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“It’s been a battle,” Hojara added, “and I think this new variety has set us back.”

She described her daughter’s inability to be vaccinated as “frightening.”

Dr. Jennifer Kusma, a physician at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital, said she’s observed an increase in the number of children admitted to the hospital with omicron, and while most of them aren’t seriously ill, she understands parents’ concerns.

Pfizer’s trial has been modified to include a third dose for children under the age of five, with results due in early spring.

None of the 102 children aged 12 to 18 who were admitted to the hospital with the illness needed ventilators or other advanced life support because they had had two Pfizer shots at least 28 days before. Unvaccinated youngsters, on the other hand, required treatment in 40 percent of cases.

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Symptoms of multisystem inflammatory syndrome include persistent fever, stomach pain, and rashes. Although the majority of the youngsters survive, there have been 55 documented deaths.

A second CDC investigation found that children with COVID-19 were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than children without the virus. Scientists are still trying to figure out why the virus is attacking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.