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The growing number of pediatric hospital admissions is raising alarm as respiratory illnesses coincide and young children remain ineligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines midway back to school.
Children’s hospitals across the country have confirmed a growing number of pediatric inpatient volumes, including the Nashville-based Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Vanderbilt, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Texas Children’s Hospital has also reported an increase in COVID-19 cases among young residents, with the delta variant causing more than 80% of new cases since July 1.
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“Well over 80% of our new cases since July 1 in children and adolescents are due to the delta variant. So we know that it is a very contagious variant. And so we expect to continue to see this trend. the number of cases increasing over the next few days and weeks, ”said Dr. Jim Versalovic, chief pathologist and acting chief pediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital, Texas Standard, a local media partnership.
The delta variant has also been blamed for the majority of new COVID-19 infections at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles; Dr Michael Smit told Fox News that COVID-19 infections in children have doubled in the past two weeks. Smit, a hospital epidemiologist and medical director of infection prevention, however, noted that “the severity of the infection is low, with few children requiring hospitalization.”
It is not yet clear whether the delta variant is more virulent or dangerous among younger age groups, Dr Richard Besser, former CDC acting director, told the co-hosts of “TODAY” on Tuesday. “I haven’t seen convincing evidence that it’s more serious. I think the jury is out on this, but the mere fact that so many more children are infected with this strain means there will be more. of children who will have serious illness, there will be more children hospitalized there and unfortunately there will be more children who will die of COVID and that is not something we should allow to happen. produce, ”Besser said.
COVID-19 vaccines are available for children as young as 12, although younger people may become eligible for the vaccine this fall.
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Versalovic noted that the delta variant presents itself differently in younger patients, writing in a Texas Children blog post: “We are seeing more upper airway congestion, congestive features and less significance of taste loss. and smell, at least initially. In addition, similar symptoms that were evident throughout the pandemic continue to be the case in children and adolescents, such as fever, fatigue and a variety of symptoms. upper respiratory tract. “
Several hospital officials told Fox News that the increase in hospital admissions came along with an unusual summer increase in a common respiratory virus called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). National reports of RSV increased through July, usually resulting in cold symptoms, and although most recover within two weeks, some populations face a higher risk of serious illness, such as infants and children. the elderly, according to the CDC.
“Colorado Children’s Hospital continues to regularly house young patients for COVID-19 and other upper respiratory illnesses, and these numbers are steadily increasing,” a hospital spokesperson told Fox News . “To complicate matters, some children can have COVID and a number of other respiratory viruses simultaneously, including RSV. We encourage anyone who can to get vaccinated and follow preventive measures such as masking, frequent hand washing, social distancing, and staying home when sick. “
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In a recent conversation led by experts at Vanderbilt Health, top doctors reiterated that unvaccinated populations are largely the source of transmission and account for the vast majority of patients with poor outcomes.
“It will be really interesting as we go through the fall and the kids come back to school, which I think is good for them to be social, but a lot may not hide, they won’t be vaccinated and I’m nervous to see what happens to the disease in children, ”said Dr. Tom Talbot, the hospital’s chief epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
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