Pediatric cases due to Omicron are on the rise. CNN reported that there has been a five-fold increase in pediatric admissions in New York City this month. Nationwide, on average, pediatric hospitalizations are up 48% in just the past week.
The Christmas holidays have resulted in children being infected more then ever before. Across the country, pediatricians are bracing for a busy January.
Dr. Stanley Spinner told CNN, “They’re needing oxygen. They’re needing some other assistance. Even if they’re just really dehydrated, needing IV fluids, most of these kids that we’re admitting for COVID are kids that have respiratory issues — that they need oxygen and they need other support. So they’re going to be pretty sick. You know, you don’t see kids that are not very sick in the hospital.”
Children are an easy target for the virus, Dr. Juan Salazar, physician in chief at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, told CNN.
The Miami Herald reported that, emerging evidence shows children are getting infected with the coronavirus and being hospitalized at alarming rates relative to pre-omicron days, particularly those who are unvaccinated. As a result, kids younger than 5 years old, who are not yet eligible for vaccination, are making up large portions of pediatric COVID-19 surges across the globe. Nationwide, more than 900 children with COVID-19 have been admitted to a hospital as of the week of Dec. 20, up from 800 the week prior, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.