Covid Cases in Children Are Rising, Pediatricians Say

U.S.|Pediatricians accidental Covid cases successful children are connected the rise.

• Nov. 23, 2021, 5:01 a.m. ET

Coronavirus cases successful children successful the United States person risen by 32 percent from astir 2 weeks ago, a spike that comes arsenic the state rushes to inoculate children up of the wintertime vacation season, pediatricians said.

More than 140,000 children tested affirmative for the coronavirus betwixt Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, up from 107,000 successful the week ending Nov. 4, according to a statement connected Monday from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

These cases accounted for astir a 4th of the country’s caseload for the week, the connection said. Children nether 18 marque up astir 22 percent of the U.S. population.

“Is determination origin for concern? Absolutely,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, the vice seat of the academy’s infectious diseases committee, said successful an interrogation connected Monday night. “What’s driving the summation successful kids is determination is an summation successful cases overall.”

Children person accounted for a greater percent of wide cases since the vaccines became wide disposable to adults, said Dr. O’Leary, who is besides a prof of pediatrics astatine the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Though children are little apt to make terrible unwellness from Covid than adults, they are inactive astatine risk, and tin besides dispersed the microorganism to adults. Experts person warned that children should beryllium vaccinated to support against imaginable long-Covid symptoms, Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome and hospitalization.

At the extremity of October, astir 8,300 American children ages 5 to 11 person been hospitalized with Covid and astatine slightest 172 person died, retired of much than 3.2 cardinal hospitalizations and 740,000 deaths overall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At a quality league connected Friday, Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said hospitalizations and deaths among 5- to 11-year-olds were “really startling.”

Dr. O’Leary said it did not assistance that galore schools had softened their information protocols successful the past fewer months.

“So immoderate extortion that mightiness beryllium happening successful schools is not there,” helium said.

Vaccinations of younger children are apt to assistance support schools open. Virus outbreaks forced astir 2,300 schools to adjacent betwixt aboriginal August and October, affecting much than 1.2 cardinal students, according to information presented astatine a C.D.C. meeting on Nov. 2.

Dr. O’Leary said that helium was particularly acrophobic astir lawsuit increases successful children during the vacation season.

With the gait of inoculations stagnating among U.S. adults, states are rushing to promote vaccinations for children 5 done 11, who became eligible earlier this period aft the C.D.C. authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for that property group. In May, the national authorities recommended making the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine disposable to children ages 12 to 15. Teenagers 16 and older became eligible successful astir states a period earlier.

The White House estimated connected Nov. 10 that nearly a cardinal young children had gotten vaccinated; 28 cardinal are eligible. They person one-third of the big dose, with 2 injections 3 weeks apart.

All of the information truthful acold indicates that the vaccines are acold safer than a bout of Covid, adjacent for children.

Still, astir 3 successful 10 parents accidental they volition definitely not get the vaccine for their 5- to 11-year-old child, according a caller canvass by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Only astir 3 successful 10 parents said they would immunize their kid “right away.”