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Children’s hospitals are overwhelmed as a spike in COVID-19 cases among children threatens their resources.
Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Texas and Louisiana are among the states with a rapid increase in the number of children hospitalized amid the highly contagious Delta variant.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock told Fox 16 on Monday that they had 27 COVID-19 patients under the age of 18 – including 12 in the intensive care unit and eight on ventilators.
“Thanks to the delta variant, it is much more contagious and appears to infect children more often than what we saw earlier in the pandemic,” said Dr. Jessica Snowden, chief of pediatric infectious diseases for Arkansas Children’s and the ‘UAMS. “These community measures that we know of have helped last year in terms of distancing, wearing masks and washing hands, so that we can make sure that we keep our children safe.”
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Children’s Mercy Kansas City in Missouri told KMBC they had 12 children hospitalized last Thursday and on Monday the number had risen to 22. Seven of those children are in intensive care, ranging from infants to teens.
“You’re going to see hospitalizations. You’re going to see kids, you know, who need ventilators,” said Dr. Angela Myers, who heads the infectious disease division at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Myers said the best way to reduce cases is to wear masks. “This is the way you can stay in your extracurricular activities and your sports, this is where you are going to avoid getting infected, is to stay masked. You know, those are big motivators for teens. , right? They want to be a part of all of these things, ”she said.
Also in Missouri, St. Louis Children’s Hospital saw 13 children in the emergency room for COVID-19 during the last week of July and 20 more children who needed beds during the first week of August, according to NBC. News.
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In North Texas, children’s hospitals have a capacity of more than 97% amid rising COVID-19 cases, health officials said Monday, according to the WFAA.
Children’s Health in Dallas has 33 patients treated for COVID-19 and Cook Children’s has 16 patients requiring treatment, according to the outlet.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced on Friday that 13 children had been hospitalized with COVID at the New Orleans Children’s Hospital, ranging from infants to adolescents. Four of the children, including a 3-month-old boy, a 23-month-old girl, an 8-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, were in intensive care.
“Children in Louisiana have died from COVID and more sadly will die,” Dr. John Vanchiere, pediatric infectious disease specialist, said at the press conference alongside Edwards. “Now is not the time to play politics, fight or threaten mask lawsuits. Masks save lives. And if you’re a pro-life Louisiana resident like me, wear your mask. . “
RELATED: Mississippi slashes to 6 intensive care beds, Arkansas to 25 as COVID cases rage in the south
In the United States, 46,276 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first week of August, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
An average of 225 children were admitted per day, which is 27.2% more than the previous week.
The total number of cases of children diagnosed with COVID-19 is 4,292,120, or 14.3% of all cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Children under 12 are at risk of contracting the virus because they are not eligible to receive the vaccine.
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RELATED: Florida Reports Increase in COVID-19 Hospitalizations in Children
Dr Jim Versalovic, chief pathologist and acting chief pediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, told NBC News on Monday that “the main driver of the spread of infections” is “within households, from parents to children.” .
“We have certainly seen siblings – more than two sometimes – with infection at the same time, so the spread within households is certainly a very real phenomenon,” he added.
The Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston is participating in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine trials for children under 12. “Versalovic told NBC News.” We plan to have vaccines available for children during the first half of the school year, but for children under 5 this is expected to happen later in the school year. the year, maybe early in 2022. It will be an ongoing effort. “
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