2 children die of COVID-19 in 24 hours at Jacksonville hospital

3 years ago 274

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – During a municipality hallway treatment Wednesday night, the main pediatric captious attraction services astatine Wolfson Children’s Hospital made a heartbreaking announcement, saying that successful the erstwhile 24 hours 2 children astatine the infirmary had died of COVID-19 complications -- 1 arsenic young arsenic 2 weeks old.

Dr. Michael Gayle did not accidental however agelong the children who died had been hospitalized. He besides did not bespeak the property of the 2nd child.

“Yes, children volition get little problems with COVID, but they bash get terrible conditions, and we volition spot much and much of those successful the intensive attraction unit,” Gayle said during the webinar Wednesday nighttime hosted by Pastor John Newman of the Sanctuary astatine Mount Calvary Church.

Gayle, who is besides main of pediatric captious attraction services for UF Health, said during the caller surge ignited by the delta variant, treble the fig of children person been hospitalized.

“As I talk to you today, we are averaging astir 5 to six children successful intensive attraction with respiratory failure, kidney failure, and besides we person seen immoderate much PMIC,” Gayle said.

Wolfson issued a connection Thursday astir the pediatric deaths:

Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wolfson Children’s Hospital has confirmed a full of 7 diligent deaths. Four of the 7 occurred since the commencement of the latest surge successful the greater Jacksonville country that began successful precocious June. Ages for the patients who passed ranged from infancy to precocious adolescence.

Due to diligent privateness laws, we are incapable to remark connected immoderate circumstantial case.

Our hearts spell retired to the families who person mislaid children owed to COVID-19. Wolfson Children’s and our caregivers grieve on with them.

We impulse parents and different caregivers to instrumentality precautions to support themselves and their children from COVID-19. That includes getting themselves and children ages 12+ vaccinated, and taking CDC-recommended precautions.

News4Jax learned successful August that a 16-year-old had died of COVID astatine the hospital.

2 children dice of COVID-19 successful 24 hours astatine Jacksonville hospital

Infectious illness specializer Dr. Mohammed Reza said arsenic a begetter of 3 children who are excessively young to beryllium vaccinated, the quality of the deaths is concerning.

“It’s nauseating due to the fact that they’re not protected yet,” Reza said of his ain children. “If you look astatine the earthy people of this disease, it’s tricky, and I support saying that due to the fact that if I get infected today, if a kid gets infected today, they whitethorn not person symptoms for the adjacent 2 to 14 days.”

Gayle pointed retired during the speech Wednesday nighttime that adjacent children implicit the property to beryllium vaccinated are ending up successful the hospital.

“We person truthful galore kids that volition beryllium 12 and they tin beryllium vaccinated, and they, unfortunately, person terrible pneumonia, and successful galore cases, parents are against vaccination truthful definitely, I would similar the assemblage to cognize that adjacent though kids are getting COVID little percentage-wise, but with the summation successful the kids going backmost to school. Some places that bash not person disguise mandates, galore person been exposed to COVID, and we’re seeing much kids having terrible organ failure,” Gayle said.

As of Tuesday, 230 children were successful Florida hospitals with COVID, and 72 caller pediatric patients were admitted Tuesday -- a grounds for the pandemic. As of Thursday, 19 children were hospitalized astatine Wolfson with COVID, with 4 successful the ICU. Baptist Health reported 8 children were admitted for COVID-19 astatine its hospitals connected Wednesday.

The quality of the 2 children’s deaths came arsenic a astonishment to many, including immoderate country doctors.

Dr. Sunil Josh, president of the Duval County Medical Society Foundation, said immoderate decease of a kid is simply a origin for sadness, but particularly 1 that is preventable.

“Whenever you perceive astir immoderate pediatric deaths from immoderate cause, it’s incredibly sad, but from a illness similar this that we’ve been talking astir for implicit a twelvemonth and a fractional present and however preventable it tin beryllium if we bash the close happening -- incredibly bittersweet arsenic a parent, but besides frustrating arsenic a wellness attraction provider,” Joshi said.

He pointed retired during an interrogation connected The Morning Show that the delta variant is spreading to younger radical overmuch faster than the archetypal variant.

“It tends to people folks who are unvaccinated. Well, conjecture what, our kids nether the property of 12 haven’t adjacent had the accidental to beryllium vaccinated yet,” Joshi said. “And this is wherefore we talked astir forming this bubble astir our children, having masks successful school, having the remainder of america vaccinated truthful that we tin bash what we can, support the folks that can’t support themselves close now, and I deliberation it’s precise very important for america each to recognize that, that our children are going to proceed to get sick unless we commencement to bash immoderate of the important things to mitigate the dispersed of this virus.”

The semipermanent effects of COVID are besides a large concern. In adults, 30% of each radical hospitalized volition person semipermanent symptoms and doctors judge that is the aforesaid for children -- galore volition person problems breathing down the line.

The apical doctors successful Jacksonville who are moving connected the beforehand lines warring COVID-19 got unneurotic virtually during the municipality hallway Wednesday to code the galore issues surrounding the delta variant, particularly the effect connected the Black community. The speech addressed the rising cases of COVID-19 successful children, the disorder implicit COVID symptoms and warring misinformation.

“This is an highly important clip successful the African American community. Thirteen percent of the country, yet we upwind up being 25% of the COVID deaths,” Newman said. “And truthful without question it is captious that our assemblage beryllium addressed arsenic it relates to the COVID situation, peculiarly the delta variant.”

Dr. Tra’Chella Johnson Foy is with Baptist Health. She says she meets galore patients who regret not getting vaccinated.

“I person a batch of criers present who are like, ‘I privation I had.’ And that’s what we privation to avoid,” Johnson Foy said. “If you tin bash what you tin bash now, spell up and get vaccinated present truthful we are not having the ‘I privation I had’ speech for you oregon immoderate of your loved ones.”

Tom Diamond II is simply a aesculapian pupil who spoke astatine the municipality hall. He spoke astir the harm not lone of the virus, but misinformation being online.

“As a community, we are not lone having to look the effects of COVID successful the carnal form, but we are besides facing the misinformation connected societal media,” Diamond said. “We get our accusation truthful accelerated successful our hands connected our phones, and it’s hard for radical who cognize the science, who cognize the close accusation that tin assistance patients to combat what’s happening connected societal media successful existent clip to what’s really happening successful the existent world.”

The doctors discussed however aggravated and frustrated they are knowing that galore deaths caused by the delta variant are preventable.

Florida reported 19,048 caller COVID-19 cases connected Thursday -- the highest successful 4 days, according to numbers posted Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Florida has had astir 3.27 cardinal COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started successful aboriginal 2020.

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