ToplineAlthough it is rare for children to be seriously ill or to die from Covid-19, hospitals based primarily in the south U.S. report a sharp increase in the number of admissions. Some hospitals have broken new pandemic records as the delta variant continues its drive to a worrying rise in hospitalizations and cases nationwide.A young child is taken to take his temperature. peter dazeleyThe Key FactsMajor children's hospitals in Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Louisiana have reported that they now have more children than ever before during the pandemic. According to CNN, Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have increased 50% at Arkansas Childrens Hospitals in Little Rock and Springdale. This is despite the fact that the total number of children in their care has risen from six to 17 by Thursday morning. The facility has stopped operations to redeploy personnel to critical care units and halted all other surgeries. Nearby Baton Rouge, Dr. Catherine ONeal was the chief medical officer of Our Lady of the Lake. He said that 11 children were admitted to the children's hospital in the area with Covid-19. This is a new trend we haven't seen before in Florida. A top pediatric infectious disease specialist in Jacksonville reported a record number of children being hospitalized in the city. According to Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, Alabama is now at a new state peak. The 32 children currently being treated with Covid-19 surpass the number seen in January, when the state was at its highest level in terms hospitalizations.TangentBecause there are no updated and comprehensive data on Covid-19 child cases, it is unclear if the trend is widespread. In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report that found that hospitalization rates among children reached 2.1 per 100,000 by January 2021. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), publishes a weekly report on child hospitalizations and cases. However, not all states submit data regularly. On July 22, the AAP reported that children accounted for between 1.3% to 3.6% of all hospitalizations. 0.1% and 1.9% of all Covid-19 child cases ended in hospitalizations. The risk of hospitalization and death among children with Covid-19 is still very low. Since the outbreak, Covid-19 has claimed the lives of just over 520 children (0.08% of the total U.S. deaths), and around 0.01% of all cases have resulted in death. The CDC emphasizes that severe diseases can still be fatal for children, as they occur in all ages.Important BackgroundExperts offer many explanations as to why children are being hospitalized more frequently. Many experts cite data that shows children are becoming more common, with a higher proportion of cases coming from younger patients. These are primarily the more severe delta variants. Florida saw an 87% rise in coronavirus infections in children younger than 12 years. Louisiana's school-aged children were the most affected by coronavirus infection when data was last collected by the state Department of Health. The coronavirus vaccine is not available to children under 12. Inoculations for teenagers and young adults are still very slow.Important QuoteArkansas Childrens Hospital chief clinical officer Dr. Rick Barr told CNN that parents of children in hospital are shocked by the message from Covid. He also said that the vaccines have proven to be very effective. They encourage other parents to have their children vaccinated.What to WatchThe impact of an increase in hospitalizations and cases in certain parts of the U.S. on the next school year is unclear. To prevent the spread of the virus, the CDC recommends that all students, teachers, and staff in K-12 schools use masks indoors. Although these concerns could be eased once a coronavirus vaccine for children younger than 12 years old is approved, experts warn that this might not happen until winter.Continue readingCovid, large U.K. study shows that children have a very low risk of death and hospitalization (Forbes).Moderna and Pfizer Expand Covid Vaccine Study Of Children To Improve Understanding Rare Side Effects (Forbes).A vast majority of COVID-19-positive ICU patients are not vaccinated according to an ABC News survey (ABC News).Live updates and coverage of the Coronavirus
