newest knowledge on circumstances, deaths and hospitalizations

By | October 8, 2021

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Whereas the share of kids who’ve been contaminated with the coronavirus is rising in the US, children are far much less possible than adults to turn into severely sick with COVID-19 or die from it. USA TODAY analyzed knowledge on COVID-19 and spoke to pediatric illness specialists throughout the nation to grasp the danger to kids.

“The excellent news continues to be that this isn’t a typical drawback for teenagers,” mentioned Dr. Daniel Rauch, chief of pediatric hospital medication at Tufts Kids’s Hospital in Boston. “The dangerous information is children will not be resistant to this.”

No COVID-19 vaccine has but been licensed for youngsters beneath 12, however Pfizer and BioNTech introduced this week that they’ve requested federal regulators to authorize their vaccine for youngsters ages 5 to 11.

How widespread is COVID-19 in children?

In the latest wave of the virus, pushed by the extra contagious delta variant and the comfort of social distancing measures, circumstances elevated throughout all teams — however extra kids have been testing optimistic relative to older adults. That is largely as a result of extra older Individuals are vaccinated.

“The children truly drive quite a lot of the proportion of circumstances,” mentioned Dr. Bryan Jarabek, chief medical informatics officer at M Well being Fairview in Minnesota. “However many of the hospitalizations and deaths are in older teams, though we minimize down quite a bit within the older than 65 group that’s been vaccinated.”

About 5 million kids beneath 18 have examined optimistic for the coronavirus for the reason that pandemic began. Nearly 45 million individuals total have examined optimistic throughout the nation. 

What number of children are hospitalized with COVID-19?

In August and September, shortly after circumstances started to rise, hospitalizations of kids with COVID-19 elevated throughout the U.S. Weekly pediatric admissions reached a peak of greater than three children per 100,000 the week ending Sept. 5 and have since declined in most states together with grownup COVID-19 admissions.

Nonetheless, in additional than a dozen states, together with Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, Delaware, and Vermont, pediatric admission charges have elevated within the final two weeks.

A confluence of things has led the coronavirus to contaminate and hospitalize extra Oklahoma kids by the summer season and in latest weeks, mentioned Dr. Donna Tyungu, a pediatric infectious illness doctor at OU Well being in Oklahoma Metropolis.

Pockets of low grownup vaccination charges, relaxed social distancing and colleges reopening have meant extra children with COVID-19, she mentioned, and extra children ending up within the hospital.

“Positively over the past eight weeks we’ve seen dramatic will increase in COVID-19 circumstances and hospitalizations in children,” Jarabek mentioned. “It began proper once we began college.”

At Nemours Kids’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, Dr. Craig Shapiro, an attending doctor within the division of pediatric infectious ailments, says he’s seeing the same enhance in pediatric hospitalizations from COVID-19. However he hasn’t essentially seen a extra aggressive sickness. 

“I don’t suppose we’ve got the information to assist that concept simply but,” Shapiro mentioned. “Proper now what’s occurring is there’s simply extra circumstances. In these areas the place extra kids are being contaminated, by sheer numbers there are going to be extra extreme circumstances.”

Rauch stresses the necessity to weigh the hazard of a coronavirus an infection in kids with the dangers posed by influenza and RSV, two different viral diseases he sees constantly putting massive numbers of kids, particularly the very younger. “RSV yr after yr has been the one No. 1 reason behind pediatric hospitalizations,” he mentioned.

What number of children have died of COVID-19?

Of the 73 million kids within the U.S., fewer than 700 have died of COVID-19 in the course of the course of the pandemic, in line with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. Rauch places the determine into context utilizing the quantity of people that can usually match right into a sports activities venue.

“Give it some thought when it comes to soccer stadiums,” Rauch mentioned. “In 100,000 children, one among them just isn’t going to make it with COVID. Everybody else who walked in goes to stroll out.”

About 50,000 kids beneath 14 have died of all causes for the reason that begin of the pandemic, in line with the CDC.

In the event that they’re sufficiently old to be eligible for a shot, children can lower their threat of extreme sickness by getting vaccinated, medical doctors informed USA TODAY. Dad and mom may also help shield kids beneath 12 by getting the vaccine themselves.

“I don’t make any predictions with this pandemic,” Shapiro mentioned. “However we do know that the info are that these which can be unvaccinated are more likely to be contaminated and have extreme illness.”

Youngsters’ COVID-19 vaccination charges vs. COVID-19 hospitalization charges, by state

To seek out vaccines out there close to you, go to Vaccines.gov or textual content your ZIP code to 438829.

Do you have to get the COVID-19 vaccine? This Q&A may also help you determine.

COVID-19 in children: Methodology

Weekly pediatric admissions had been calculated by totaling every week’s earlier day pediatric admissions confirmed optimistic for COVID-19 reported by hospitals to HHS. Charges had been calculated by dividing whole weekly admissions by youngster inhabitants sourced from the 2019 American Neighborhood Survey. Instances and deaths per 100,000 by age group had been sourced straight from the CDC. The kid vaccination price was calculated by subtracting the variety of individuals age 18 or older absolutely vaccinated from the variety of individuals age 12 or older absolutely vaccinated, then dividing by the kid inhabitants.

Lead photograph illustration by Veronica Bravo.

Janie Haseman may be reached by electronic mail at [email protected]. Aleszu Bajak may be reached by electronic mail at [email protected] and on Sign at 646.543.3017.

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