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As federal officials warn of a potential fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, Michigan has emerged as one of the most urgent hot spots, with average daily infections now five times what they were ago at six weeks.
New data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shows that this dramatic outbreak is largely due to an increase in cases among children and adolescents.
According to state data, since February 19, the average daily new cases of COVID-19 in children under 10 have jumped 230%, more than any other age group. The second largest increase in infections is in the 10-19 age group, which has seen cases increase by 227%. The tendencies of these groups exceed that of the state as a whole.
The increase in cases among children is evident elsewhere in the country. In Minnesota, people under 20 made up nearly a quarter of reported cases in March, up from less than 15% at the end of February. Similar trends have also been seen in other states, including Illinois and Massachusetts. According to the most recent data from the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 64,000 new cases in children were reported nationwide between March 18 and March 25, the highest weekly total in a month.
Much of the increase in pediatric cases may be linked to the reopening of schools and sports for young people, according to Michigan doctors and infectious disease experts. State data shows that more than 40% of new outbreaks (defined as two or more cases linked by location and time) come from K-12 schools or youth programs. But Dr Natasha Bagdasarian, senior public health physician at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, says social gatherings after youth sporting events are also contributing to the spread.
“If everyone takes off their masks and goes out to dinner to celebrate a big win, all of those precautions go away,” she said. “So really, that seems to have driven this wave.”
The state allowed schools to resume contact sports on February 8, but testing was not mandatory for all sports. More than a month later, he tweaked that policy to require testing for every sport, whether contact or not, a change that will take effect on Friday. Bagdasarian says that, like other mitigation measures, this change was pushed back.
While children are usually at less risk for severe cases of COVID-19, some have suffered serious illness. Some children develop a condition called childhood multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) after infection, a rare condition that can affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. . As of March 1, more than 2,600 cases have been reported nationwide, with 33 deaths.
Michigan doctors fear the current spike in COVID infections could lead to an increase in this syndrome in the weeks and months to come. Bagdasarian says anecdotally, this is already happening.
Beaumont Health, Michigan’s largest healthcare system, says it has seen an increase in the number of MIS-C cases. Dr Bishara Freij, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Beaumont Royal Oak, says his hospital had three cases of MIS-C in the ICU last month, and eight in total this calendar year. He said MIS-C cases normally delay infections by 2 to 6 weeks from their peak, fueling concerns that more are on the way.
One of three patients at MIS-C in Beaumont Royal Oak in March was Juliana Elkhoury, 4, who was in intensive care for six days. Her parents said they had little or no information about MIS-C before their child was admitted to the emergency room, adding that the first symptoms looked like a normal head cold, until ‘they get worse, including a persistent rash.
“It was a really scary experience,” said Michelle, Juliana’s mother, biting back tears. “It was a tough thing to go through with your kid that you just always want to protect and not see him in the intensive care unit with tubes plugged in all over the place and go through that.” Both parents urged others to rethink whether a social activity is essential and worth the risk.
In recent days, federal health officials have insisted that while the end of the pandemic may be nigh, now is not the time to ease restrictions, especially to hide warrants. The recent surge in infections led to a passionate appeal earlier this week from CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky, who warned of a feeling of “impending doom.”
“We don’t have the luxury of inaction,” she said.
While officials are concerned about the increase in pediatric cases and their contribution to the spread in the community, research into COVID-19 vaccines for children is advancing. Preliminary data from Pfizer showing that its vaccine is fully effective in children aged 12 to 15 is a significant sign of hope. All three vaccines approved in the United States have ongoing trials in children, with the hope that vaccinations in certain age groups could begin before the fall school year. Bagdasarian says it’s imperative that vaccines be available as soon as possible.
“Getting a vaccine for this pediatric age group is our best chance to achieve herd immunity,” she said.
Freij noted that in the meantime, it is important for adults to overcome any hesitation and decide to get vaccinated.
“Our health is linked. We are united and fall together,” he said. “And I think maybe people should relax some hard-held beliefs and maybe try to help those around them.”
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