CDC reports record number of child COVID-19 hospitalizations

[brooklynite]

Source: The Hill

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky reported Friday that there have been a record number of pediatric hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and announced new isolation guidelines for students, staff and teachers to preserve in-person learning in schools.

During a media briefing, Walensky cautioned that pediatric hospitalizations are at the highest point they have ever been during the pandemic, even though they are much lower when compared to adults. She said it’s still not clear if the increase is due to a greater burden of disease in children's communities or their lower rates of vaccination.

The increase was seen most in children younger than 4, who are ineligible for vaccination, and the data include those admitted to hospitals for reasons other than COVID-19 who then tested positive.

“Please, for our youngest children, those who are not yet eligible for vaccination, it's critically important that we surround them with people who are vaccinated to provide them protection,” Walensky said. “This includes at home, at day care and preschool and throughout our entire community.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/588768-cdc-director-updates-isolation-guidance-in-effort-to-keep-schools-open

[Bleacher Creature]

1. Gut-wrenching and almost 100% preventable.

Just get vaccinated people!

[Hooligan2]

2. hospitalized "with covid" vs "because of covid"

"The increase was seen most in children younger than 4, who are ineligible for vaccination, and the data include those admitted to hospitals for reasons other than COVID-19 who then tested positive. "

interesting comment... how about presenting a compare of the data for with and without covid at time of admission.

likely exposures in the hospital setting of the contagion...

likely by vectors who have been vaccinated but still can carry and spread viable contagion.

[YP_Yooper]

3. Not only that

but children who test positive within 2 weeks of the hospital trip regardless of why they were admitted are counted? Still little risk. For example, myocardasis from the vaccine is 5 per 100,000 and is considered safe [link:https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/covid-19-vaccines-for-kids/art-20513332#can-affect-heart|

children under the age of 4 had 4.3 COVID-19 associated hospitalizations per 100,000. Children ages 5 to 17 had only 1.1 hospitalizations per 100,000. Dr. Rubin said the real-time data he had been analyzing, as a lead investigator with the PolicyLab Covid-19 forecasting model, indicated that in southwest Pennsylvania, where Omicron dominates, the proportion of pediatric admissions requiring intensive care services had dropped by half since early fall, and has continued to fall in the last month.

And the rate of pediatric Covid admissions in much of the country was still below the peak of what is typically seen with the seasonal flu, he added.

Some of the recent increase, he said, was most likely tied to delays in seeking medical care for children as infections soared again, combined with the spread of wintertime viruses that can complicate the health of medically fragile children and lead to hospitalization.
[link:https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/health/omicron-kids-hospitalizations.html|

All said, things are actually looking better compared to delta and earlier...

[JohnSJ]

4. The increase the OP is referring is in children less than 5 years old who are not eligible for the

vaccine, and the myocarditis is very rare, about 54 out of a million

WHO and the CDC have made it clear that the Omicron variant should NOT be consider LESS DEADLY in the unvaccinated, and making conclusions this early in the variant with the implications that this is LESS dangerous is not a very wise approach, especially since the delta and other variants are still out there, and the fact tha hospitals are still getting overwhelmed

[YP_Yooper]

6. Agreed based on current guidance

but the 54 per million is the same as 5.4 per 100k. Rare, yes, and at that level, the vacc is considered safe.

Only point is that what we're seeing as the adverse rate in kids from COVID is below that level. That's good news.

[JohnSJ]

7. Understood. Thanks

[Orrex]

5. But by all means, the fucking schools must remain open for reasons!