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

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – In a discussion at town hall on Wednesday night, the head of the pediatric intensive care unit at Wolfson Children’s Hospital made a heartbreaking announcement, claiming that in the past 24 hours, two children in hospital had died of complications from COVID-19 – one as young as 2 weeks old.

Dr Michael Gayle did not specify how long the deceased children had been hospitalized. He also did not indicate the age of the second child.

“Yes, children will have fewer problems with COVID, but they have serious conditions, and we will see more and more people in the intensive care unit,” Gayle said during the Wednesday night webinar hosted by Pastor John Newman of the Sanctuary at Church of Mount Calvary.

Gayle said that in the recent wave triggered by the delta variant, double the number of children were hospitalized.

“As I speak to you today, on average we have about five to six children in intensive care with respiratory failure, kidney failure, and we’ve seen other PMICs as well,” Gayle said.

A d

The conversation focused on the increase in cases of COVID-19 in children, the confusion over COVID symptoms and the fight against misinformation.

Gayle pointed out that even children of vaccine age end up in the hospital.

“We have so many kids who will be 12 and they can be vaccinated, and they unfortunately have severe pneumonia, and in many cases parents are against vaccination so definitely I would like the public to know that even though children are receiving COVID less as a percentage, but with the increase in the number of children returning to school. Some places that don’t have a mask warrant, a lot have been exposed to COVID, and we’re seeing more children with severe organ failure, ”Gayle said.

As of Tuesday, 230 children were hospitalized in Florida with COVID, and 72 new pediatric patients were admitted Tuesday – a record for the pandemic. On Wednesday, 21 children were hospitalized in Wolfson with COVID, including five in intensive care. Baptist Health reported that nine children had been admitted with COVID-19 to its hospitals on August 31.

A d

Jacksonville’s top doctors who work on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19 came together virtually at town hall to address the many issues surrounding the Delta variant, particularly the effect on the black community.

“This is an extremely important time in the African American community. Thirteen percent of the country, but we end up making up 25% of COVID deaths,” Newman said. “And so without a doubt, it’s essential that our community to be addressed regarding the COVID situation, especially the delta variant. ”

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

“I have a lot of town criers now who say, ‘I wish I had. “And that’s what we want to avoid,” Johnson Foy said. “If you can do what you can do now, go ahead and get your shot now so we don’t have the ‘wish we had’ conversation for you or a loved one.”

A d

Tom Diamond II is a medical student who spoke at City Hall. He spoke about the harms of not only the virus, but the misinformation online.

“As a community, we not only have to deal with the effects of COVID in physical form, but we also face misinformation on social media,” Diamond said. “We get our information so quickly in our hands on our phones, and it’s hard for people who know the science, who know the correct information that can help patients fight what is happening on social media at times. real versus what is actually happening in the real world. world.”

Doctors have explained how angry and frustrated they are that many deaths caused by the delta variant are preventable.

Florida reported 19,048 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday – the highest in four days, according to figures released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Florida has recorded nearly 3.27 million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020.