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As COVID cases continue to increase throughout the country, we’re seeing more and more children getting infected. A record number of kids are currently being treated for COVID-19 in U.S. hospitals.
This is unfortunate news. Especially for all of us with small children who are not yet vaccinated.
Many of the hospitalizations are being attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant, which is spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated.
Of course, we are still waiting for the FDA to authorize vaccines for children under age 12. Without that protection, this age group is more susceptible to getting infected by the virus. Plus, there is an increased risk now that children are returning to school and in-person learning.
This weekend’s numbers were at an all-time high. The U.S. Health Department says just over 19-hundred children are now being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals around the country. That’s about 2-point-4 percent of the total COVID hospitalizations.
Texas has the most pediatric cases with 311, followed by Florida, California, Ohio, and Georgia.
I also want to point out that we’re seeing record numbers of COVID patients ages 18 to 49 as well.
Actually, there’s still no concrete evidence that the Delta variant causes more severe health complications in children. It’s clearly more contagious than previous variants. But we don’t know for sure if it is making kids sicker.
However, many experts say that as long as we continue to have more cases, there will be more hospitalizations and serious complications.
It’s true that over the past year, children have been more resistant to COVID, but we have to remember they can still become very sick. It is up to us as parents to stay diligent and protect our children by having them wear masks, wash their hands, and social distance as much as possible. Older kids should get vaccinated, as well as family members. That’s the best way to slow the spread of the delta variant. Especially as the new school year gets underway.