The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 in Alabama is increasing

As of Tuesday, 24 children hospitalized in Alabama were battling COVID-19, according to the Alabama Hospital Association. Last Thursday they were nine.

The total number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Alabama reached 602 on Tuesday, an increase of nearly 200% from three weeks ago and a level the state has not seen since March 2, 2021 .

The increase in hospitalizations among children and adults in Alabama is also seen in many other states as the most contagious delta variant continues to spread and vaccination rates, especially among young people, remain low.

The seven-day average of new cases per day has increased 216% over the past two weeks – from 255 cases per day to 807 as of July 19 – reflecting the Alabama Department of Public Health’s tally of the number new cases by date of infection. .

“This can be the start of a wildfire, and what we know about wildfires is that they are unpredictable,” said Dr Racheal Lee of UAB, a hospital epidemiologist and assistant professor of infectious diseases, speaking to reporters Tuesday.

In addition to the increase in cases and hospitalizations, the percentage of positive tests in Alabama has also increased. Public health experts say the percentage of positivity should be 5 percent or less, otherwise the cases are unlikely to be detected.

Alabama’s percentage of positivity in the week ending Sunday rose from 10% to 14.9%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Alabama has the lowest percentage of fully vaccinated residents in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and only 5.2% of Alabamians under the age of 17 are vaccinated, according to the Department of Public Health. Alabama.

“We are seeing younger patients,” Lee said, noting that a large percentage of Alabamians 75 and older are vaccinated – 75.3% according to the Alabama Department of Public Health – and therefore less than these older patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.

“We are seeing fewer intubated patients in the intensive care unit and more unvaccinated intubated people,” Lee said.

Lee said 85 percent of the latest UAB lab samples, taken from hospitals across the state, were the most contagious delta variant. Delta appears in similar percentages across the United States, with the CDC this week announcing that 83% of recent cases were the delta variant.

Asked what steps parents should take to keep their children safe in school, Lee said those with children 12 and older should be vaccinated.

“If you’re in the same group as me – I have two kids under the age of 12 – that’s where I really start to worry as we see the number of our communities grow,” said Lee.

Lee said data from last year showed that through social distancing and wearing masks in school, children were protected against COVID-19. She noted the new American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines that recommend universal masking in schools and the CDC’s recommendation to continue wearing masks if you are not vaccinated.

“I think it’s important to consider, if you’re a leader of a school, to consider continuing to mask, at least indoors for your students under 12,” Lee said. “We really want to protect them and we want them to keep going to school because that’s where they get their best learning. ”

Governor Kay Ivey said APR Monday by a spokesperson that she believes the children should return to class in person and without any mask warrant. Ivey also said there will be no further business closures due to COVID-19 and that she will not seek help from federal teams of health experts, who work in other states to increase vaccination rates and control the rapidly spreading delta variant.

For Lee and other health experts, low vaccination rates and increasing cases and hospitalizations are cause for concern. Almost all of Alabama and the United States who are hospitalized and die from COVID-19 are not vaccinated.

“I recommend that if you are not vaccinated, follow CDC guidelines for continuing to wear a mask,” Lee said. “If you are vaccinated I think it is important that you continue to monitor and pay attention to who you are. If you are not feeling well, get tested and be sure to stay home.