US children hospitalized with COVID in near-record numbers

SEATTLE – The omicron-fueled surge that is sending COVID-19 cases rocketing successful the U.S. is putting children successful the infirmary successful adjacent to grounds numbers, and experts lament that astir of the youngsters are not vaccinated.

“It’s conscionable truthful heartbreaking,” said Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious-disease adept astatine Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. "It was hard capable past year, but present you cognize that you person a mode to forestall each this.”

During the week of Dec. 21-27, an mean of 334 children 17 and nether were admitted per time to hospitals with the coronavirus, a 58% summation from the week before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The erstwhile highest implicit the people of the pandemic was successful aboriginal September, erstwhile kid hospitalizations averaged 342 per day, the CDC said.

On a much hopeful note, children proceed to correspond a tiny percent of those being hospitalized with COVID-19: An mean of implicit 9,400 radical of each ages were admitted per time during the aforesaid week successful December. And galore doctors accidental the youngsters coming successful present look little sick than those seen during the delta surge implicit the summer.

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Two months aft vaccinations were approved for 5- to 11-year-olds, astir 14% are afloat protected, CDC information shows. The complaint is higher for 12- to 17-year-olds, astatine astir 53%.

The contented is timing successful galore cases, said Dr. Albert Ko, prof of epidemiology and infectious diseases astatine the Yale School of Public Health. Younger children were not approved for the vaccine until November, and galore are lone present coming up connected their 2nd dose, helium said.

Offit said nary of the vaccine-eligible children receiving attraction astatine his infirmary astir a week agone had been vaccinated, adjacent though two-thirds had underlying conditions that enactment them astatine hazard — either chronic lung illness or, much commonly, obesity. Only 1 was nether the vaccination property of 5.

The scenes are heart-rending.

“They're struggling to breathe, coughing, coughing, coughing,” Offit said. “A fistful were sent to the ICU to beryllium sedated. We enactment the attachment down their pharynx that's attached to a ventilator, and the parents are crying.”

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None of the parents oregon siblings was vaccinated either, helium said.

The adjacent 4 to six weeks are going to beryllium rough, helium said: “This is simply a microorganism that thrives successful the winter.”

Aria Shapiro, 6, spent her 12th time Thursday astatine Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She tested affirmative for COVID-19 aft getting her archetypal dose of the vaccine Dec. 17.

Aria, who is considered “medically fragile” due to the fact that she has epilepsy, suffered prolonged seizures successful the hospital, and a breathing conduit had to beryllium enactment down her pharynx astatine 1 point, though she has since improved.

“We lived our beingness successful for 2 years to forestall her from getting COVID, yet went for the vax, and the 1 happening that we didn’t privation to hap happened,” said her mother, Sarah Shapiro. “It wasn’t capable clip for her assemblage to physique antibodies. She did extremity up getting COVID.”

Overall, caller COVID-19 cases successful Americans of each ages person skyrocketed to the highest levels connected record: an mean of 300,000 per day, oregon 2 1/2 times the fig conscionable 2 weeks ago. The highly contagious omicron accounted for 59% of caller cases past week, according to the CDC.

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Still, determination are aboriginal indications that the variant causes milder unwellness than erstwhile versions, and that the operation of the vaccine and the booster seems to support radical from its worst effects.

In California, 80 COVID-19-infected children were admitted to the infirmary during the week of Dec. 20-26, compared with 50 successful the past week of November, wellness officials said.

Seattle Children's besides reported a bump successful the fig of children admitted implicit the past week. And portion they are little earnestly sick than those hospitalized implicit the summer, Dr. John McGuire cautioned that it is aboriginal successful the omicron wave, and the afloat effects volition go evident implicit the adjacent respective weeks.

New York wellness authorities person besides sounded the alarm.

The fig of children admitted to the infirmary per week successful New York City with COVID-19 went from 22 to 109 betwixt Dec. 5 and Dec. 24. Across each of New York state, it went from 70 to 184. Overall, astir 5,000 radical successful New York were successful the infirmary with COVID-19.

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“A fourfold summation makes everybody leap with concern, but it's a tiny percentage," Ko said of the New York City figures. “Children person a debased hazard of being hospitalized, but those who bash are unvaccinated."

Dr. Al Sacchetti, main of exigency services astatine Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center successful Camden, New Jersey, likewise said vaccinated children are handling the omicron outbreak highly well.

“It makes a large quality successful however these kids tolerate the disease, peculiarly if the child’s got immoderate aesculapian issues,” helium said.

COVID-19 deaths person proved uncommon among children implicit the people of the pandemic. As of past week, 721 successful the U.S. had died of the disease, according to information reported to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The wide U.S. decease toll is much than 800,000.

Almost 199,000 kid COVID-19 cases were reported during the week of Dec. 16-23, the pediatrics radical said. That was astir 20% of the much than 950,000 full cases recorded that week.

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While galore of these children volition retrieve astatine home, they whitethorn person interaction with others who are astatine overmuch greater risk, said Dr. Jason Terk, a pediatrician successful North Texas. He cared for a 10-year-old lad with COVID-19 who managed the illness well, but his begetter got sick and died, helium said.

“The decease of a genitor is devastating, but the toxic accent for a young idiosyncratic successful this concern is hard to measure,” helium said. ___

Tang reported from San Jose, California.

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Follow Martha Bellisle connected Twitter @marthabellisle

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