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CINCINNATI – As children return to in-person learning, reports have surfaced of the growing number of children with COVID-19. However, an actual number has not been seen. WCPO reporter Ally Kraemer discussed this and other questions viewers have had with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Patty Manning.
PM: We are seeing a very dramatic increase in the number of children testing positive for COVID, both who are admitted to hospital and who are not admitted to hospital. While we don’t release exact numbers to protect privacy, I can say with certainty that those numbers have doubled, tripled, quadrupled over the past few weeks to a dramatic level.
They’re not as high as they were in November and December, when we really got there we had another surge, but they’re getting close.
I can say that over the past week, for the children who weren’t hospitalized, we had over 500 children who tested positive in this region. This is a dramatic increase and so we cannot make the community understand enough that this is serious at the moment and we are worried and we need your help.
IF: A mother asked, I have an 11 year old at school and a 7 month old at home. How can I keep my baby safe, other than hiding my other child at school?
PM: I like this question because I really like these very specific examples of what people struggle with, and the first answer, first, they have to hide in school.
Beyond masking, I would say to a parent like this that when your child comes home, have them wash their hands, have them clean any other surfaces they might touch. Not that you have to go crazy about it, but make sure they’re cleaned up when they get home.
To be super safe, you would probably keep some distance between this child and the baby. I know this probably sounds totally unrealistic, but if you want to be as safe as possible you have to keep some distance.
IF: For breastfeeding mothers who are vaccinated, how long does it take to continue breastfeeding for the baby to receive the antibodies?
PM: We know that maternal protection from breast milk can last up to a year, and we recommend breastfeeding for a year. Immediate antibody protection is probably great in the first six months, but it can last up to a year.
IF: If parents take one thing out of this discussion, what would it be?
PM: I have the impression that as a children’s hospital we are asking for a lot of help. It is our responsibility to take care of the children in this region. For the sickest kids, for the kids who aren’t that sick, for every kid who needs us, and we’re doing everything in our power to make sure that we can maintain our ability to do that.
But right now we need your help. We need your help to help us do this. We need you to stay safe, to get vaccinated, we need you to wear masks when you are indoors in close contact, we need you to think about what activities you are going to because we are dealing with a very large number of children who need us.
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