Topline
Vaccination greatly reduces the likelihood that a child will need to be hospitalized with Covid-19. This was Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director (CDC), warned Thursday after a record-breaking month for kid hospitalizations.
BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 30, 2018: Dr. Rochelle Wilensky, Director of CDC, speaks to the media after... [+] visiting Hynes Convention Center FEMA Mass Vaccination Site, March 30, 2021, Boston, Massachusetts. Recently, Dr. Walensky said that she felt like there was an "impending doom" because of the rising rate of coronavirus infections in the United States. (Photo by Erin Clarke-Pol/Getty Images). Getty Images
The Key Facts
According to new CDC data, teenagers who have not been vaccinated are almost 10 times more likely than those who have. The data was compiled from hospitals in 99 states and 14 US counties. According to the CDC director, hospitalization rates were nearly four times higher for those states that had low vaccination rates than those that had the highest coverage of vaccines during August. She explained that this highlights the importance to get vaccines for children aged 12 and over, as well as encouraging mask use for those who are not eligible. Walensky spoke at a White House Covid-19 briefing and said that there are two studies that break down these trends. They will be released Friday morning.
Important Quote
These data show that community-level vaccination coverage protects children. Walensky stated. The number of Covid-19-infected children in the community will increase, which will lead to more children being sick and being admitted to hospital.
Important Background
Walensky's data follows a record month of coronavirus-linked child hospitalsizations in the U.S. According to the CDC, between August 20th and August 26th, there was a record 330 children admitted to hospitals each day with Covid-19. This is in addition to several other records that were set during August. Walensky stated Thursday that the surge in cases is due to an exponential rise in child-related cases. He stressed that there has been no increase in disease severity associated with hyper infectious delta variant.
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