Omicron surge vexes parents of children too young for shots

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Afternoons with Grammy. Birthday parties. Meeting different toddlers astatine the park. Parents of children excessively young to beryllium vaccinated are facing hard choices arsenic an omicron variant-fueled surge successful COVID-19 cases makes each brushwood look risky.

For Maine concern proprietor Erin Connolly, the astir wrenching determination involves Madeleine, her 3-year-old daughter, and Connolly's mother, who cares for the miss connected the 1 time a week she isn’t successful preschool.

It’s a treasured clip of making cookies, going to the library, oregon conscionable hanging out. But the spirited small miss resists wearing a mask, and with the highly contagious variant spreading astatine a furious pace, Connolly says she’s wondering however agelong that tin proceed “and erstwhile does it consciousness excessively unsafe.’’

Connolly, of West Bath, said she worries little astir Madeleine and her 6-year-old vaccinated lad getting the microorganism than astir the interaction unwellness and separation would person connected the grandparents. But she's besides acrophobic astir her vaccinated parents contracting breakthrough cases.

Although wellness experts accidental omicron appears to origin little terrible illness and pb to less hospitalizations, its accelerated dispersed indicates that it is overmuch much contagious than different variants. Nearly 718,000 COVID cases were reported Tuesday, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Omicron is presently the culprit successful much than 90% of U.S. cases, a dizzying emergence from little than 10% 2 weeks ago.

"The sheer measurement of infections due to the fact that of its profound transmissibility volition mean that galore much children volition get infected,’’ Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday astatine a White House briefing.

COVID cases successful U.S. children and teens astir doubled successful the past 2 weeks of December, totaling astir 326,000 successful the last week alone, according to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

The omicron-fueled surge has besides enactment children successful the hospital successful grounds numbers: During the week of Dec. 27, 2021, to Jan. 2, 2022, an mean of 672 children 17 and nether were admitted per time to hospitals with the coronavirus — much than treble the fig from the erstwhile week. Children inactive correspond a tiny percent of those being hospitalized, however.

Fauci, the country’s apical infectious illness doctor, said surrounding children with vaccinated adults is 1 mode to support them from contracting the virus. Health officials besides reiterate that look masks forestall transmissions, and putting them connected children 2 and older successful nationalist and radical settings tin assistance support them safe.

Connolly, 39, and her parent had a hard speech Tuesday greeting astir the dilemma.

“Will Madeleine beryllium masked?” her parent asked. “I said, ‘We’re trying, but I don’t cognize if she will,’’’ Connolly recalled. “I said, ‘Does that mean that Thursdays with Grammy volition spell away?’ She said, ‘I’m not definite yet,’’’ Connolly said, choking backmost tears.

Parents who had hoped the caller twelvemonth mightiness bring a COVID vaccine for young children had a setback erstwhile Pfizer announced past period that 2 doses didn’t connection arsenic overmuch extortion arsenic hoped successful youngsters ages 2 to 4.

Researchers were disappointed by the setback but are moving to restart studies utilizing a 3rd vaccine dose, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, main of pediatric infectious illness astatine Stanford University’s aesculapian school. Maldonado is starring the university's Pfizer vaccine studies successful children nether 12.

Maldonado said she understands the vexation of parents with young children but advises them to debar unnecessary question during this existent surge, and to marque definite their time attraction centers, preschools and different attraction providers are requiring masks and taking different recommended precautions.

Watching omicron's spread, Honolulu nonmigratory Jacob Aki is contemplating forgoing a archetypal day enactment for his 10-month-old son. Celebrating the milestone is important successful his autochthonal Hawaiian culture. The contented stems from a clip earlier the measles vaccine was available, erstwhile it was a feat to scope one's archetypal birthday. The household besides canceled plans to acquisition snowfall successful Canada. Meanwhile, each cough and sniffle is provoking anxiety.

“Babies usually get sick astatine this age,” Aki said. “But with everything with COVID ... anxiousness is high.”

Heather Cimellaro, a exertion teacher from Auburn, Maine, says she worries much than ever astir keeping her 3-year-old identical duplicate boys healthy. One has had aesculapian issues related to their premature commencement and the household makes regular trips to Boston to spot a specialist.

“COVID tin truly propulsion a wrench successful those plans,’’ Cimellaro said.

Cimellaro, 33, says omicron has her rethinking moving errands with the twins, room storytime visits, adjacent preschool, located successful a wellness halfway for the elderly. She worries the boys could drawback COVID and dispersed it to their "grand-buddies.''

“It’s conscionable a batch of worry: ‘Am I doing the close thing?’’’ she said. “That’s the thing. I’m not an epidemiologist. I don’t cognize however unsafe it is for them. So it’s benignant of similar that statement with myself.’’

Erin Stanley of Berrien Springs, Michigan, said she and her hubby person curtailed their societal lives due to the fact that of omicron to assistance support their 3-year-old son, Ralph. They are some vaccinated and boosted, but they interest astir Ralph getting sick and spreading unwellness to his younger cousin, preschool classmates, grandparents and a beloved great-grandmother.

They didn't spot the great-grandmother implicit Christmas and skipped a vacation get-together with different relatives too.

“That was upsetting," Stanley said. "We each truly wanted to. It conscionable seemed risky.’’

Stanley, 35, a navigator astatine a fashionable integrated farm, utilized to instrumentality Ralph market shopping, a travel helium looked guardant to and that represented 1 of his fewer societal interactions extracurricular preschool. But fewer shoppers deterioration masks, she said, and present that seems excessively risky arsenic well.

The shy small lad has had 3 caller scares and 3 antagonistic COVID tests.

“Getting the swab trial was truly traumatic for him," said Stanley, who added that “virus” and “swab” are present portion of his vocabulary.

“He keeps saying, ‘I don’t privation to get a swab!'" she said. "If a vaccine comes for him, we’ll decidedly get it.”

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Associated Press writer Jennifer Sinco Kelleher successful Honolulu contributed to this report.

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Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner astatine @LindseyTanner.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives enactment from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely liable for each content.

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