(CNN) — While tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 infection, doctors and healthcare facilities across the country report that there are a growing number of kids hospitalized, some of whom are too young to be vaccinated.
The nation’s largest pediatric hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, reported a more than four-fold increase in hospitalizations for children from COVID-19 in the past two weeks, driven by the spread of the variants. omicron and delta during the holiday season.
“We already have staggering numbers from this uptick in omicron,” Dr. Jim Versalovic, the hospital’s chief pathologist, said Monday. “We broke previous records that were set during the delta rally in August.”
More than 700 children were in the hospital with COVID-19 over a 24-hour period last week, he said, and it was shown through sequencing that 90% of the cases were caused by the omicron variant.
“We’re seeing more covid now than we’ve seen in previous waves,” said Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a primary care pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, “and It is worrying that the worst of winter here has not passed, and we are preparing for what is to come. “
Noting that some children with coronavirus may be seeking medical attention for other conditions and then testing positive, Bracho-Sánchez told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday that it is evident from what he has seen in New York City that more and more children they have covid-19.
“It would be foolish to continue downplaying covid-19 in children at this point in the pandemic,” he said.
Early research suggests that omicron may cause more upper respiratory problems, as opposed to earlier strains that caused lower respiratory problems. However, upper respiratory conditions can be more dangerous for children than adults.
“We cannot treat children’s airways as if they were adult airways,” he said. “It’s just not the way it works. And we pediatricians know that respiratory viruses can cause … croup and bronchiolitis, that inflammation of the upper respiratory tract that causes problems in children.”
Versalovic said on Monday of children in his facility who need care: “It is clear that most of the cases have Covid-19 as the main factor or as a factor that significantly contributes to their hospitalization.”
Data released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services showed that pediatric hospital admissions had reached a record high, overshadowing the rise seen in the 2020 holiday period, as well as the rising delta in the summer and fall.
Cumulative hospitalization rates through November are about eight times higher for unvaccinated adults and about 10 times higher for unvaccinated children ages 12 to 17, according to CDC data.
Children are the least vaccinated age group in the U.S. About 53% of children ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, while that number is much lower in those ages 5 to 11, according to data from the CDC. Almost 59% of Americans ages 18 to 24 are fully vaccinated, and among those ages 25 to 39 the figure is 63%.
Overall, 62% of the US population is fully vaccinated, and more than 33% of that fraction have received a booster dose, CDC data shows.
Booster doses expanded for more children and adolescents
Health officials and experts insist to Americans that the most effective way to avoid hospitalization is through vaccination. And not only have vaccines been shown to be effective in keeping more people safe, but booster doses for eligible individuals can improve protection against omicron.
Access to booster doses, widely available to those 16 and older, increased on Monday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the emergency use authorization for boosters. Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for Children 12-15 Years.
The agency also reduced the time needed before receiving a booster shot from at least six months after completing the initial series to at least five months, for everyone 12 years and older.
About 5 million people between the ages of 12 and 15 have been fully vaccinated for more than five months and are now eligible to receive a booster shot, according to the CDC.
Since children ages 5 and older can be vaccinated as of October, CNN medical analyst and emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen asked parents and guardians Monday, “What are you waiting for?”
“This is the most dangerous time for our children and in the entire pandemic due to the spread of the covid. The virus is everywhere. Please vaccinate your children,” he said. He added that school-age children who are vaccinated will help protect younger siblings by reducing the risk of infection.
“That’s the whole idea of herd immunity, protecting those who need our help most,” he said.
Vaccine manufacturers are working to develop doses for those under 5 years of age, however the earliest deadline for application is in the spring or summer.
‘We are not in a good place’
The omicron variant has sparked a massive spike in COVID-19 cases since its arrival in the United States was announced last month, exacerbating the delta variant rally already underway and pushing some school districts to return to learning in online or to the use of masks in face-to-face education until the infections disappear.
The evidence suggests that omicron is less likely to cause serious disease than delta; however, its transmissibility means that many more will become infected, overwhelming healthcare systems. And areas of concern are emerging across the country.
“We’re not in a good place, I’m going to be really honest with you,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday. “This is the winter rebound we predicted.”
As for the high rate of infections in general, “the severity of the disease is much less than what we have seen before,” he said, yet the number of people hospitalized is increasing.
With the support of the National Guard, the state of Ohio is opening new covid-19 testing locations in nine cities this week, Governor Mike DeWine announced. The state now has more coronavirus hospitalizations than at any other point in the pandemic, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.
And Nevada is “seeing an alarming number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations reported after the year-end vacation,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a statement. “My team continues to analyze the numbers and we are working with health districts and other partners to provide resources to combat the increase we are facing.”
CNN’s Miguel Marquez, Maggie Fox, Katherine Dillinger, Jen Christensen, Deidre McPhillips, Holly Yan, Christina Maxouris, Kristina Sgueglia, Laura Ly, and Jenn Selva contributed to this report.
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