With only 58.7 % of children 12 and up fully vaccinated, the U.S is experiencing a surge in the number of daily infections. The surge comes at the same time parents are preparing their children to go back to school. Many states are already asking for help because hospitals are overwhelmed. The Delta strain has rapidly spread all over the country and became the dominant variant. Unfortunately, the WHO labelled the variant that originated in India as a variant of concern (VOC). The Delta strain is highly contagious and triggers different symptoms compared to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus.
More than 4.3 million children tested positive in the U.S
An American Academy of Pediatrics report states that more than 4.3 million children in the country have been infected with the new coronavirus, and 94.000 cases were reported last week. The surge comes after an early summer decline. Many states struggle to keep up with the high numbers of daily cases, and health experts urge people to get vaccinated. SO far, the FDA has not authorized a Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. A doctor at Children’s Hospital New Orleans declared for ABC News that people should stop thinking that Covid-9 affect grandparents and older people in general. In the past, just 1 % of patients in the hospital were children. At present, the numbers surged to 20%.
“This is not your grandfather’s COVID.”
Children with COVID-19 used to make up 1% of patients hospitalized at Children’s Hospital New Orleans.
Now they account for about 20%, Dr. Mark Kline tells @RobinRoberts. https://t.co/hmKSD5hX01 pic.twitter.com/O25aPkqoZO
— ABC News (@ABC) August 9, 2021
Many states are struggling to treat severe cases
Florida has 179 Covid-19 infected children, and there is one child on a ventilator at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. Texas has over 161 child Covid cases, and other states go through the same problem. The FDA is currently running clinical trials for the PfizerBioNtech, and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines on children between 5 to 11, and the emergency authorization might be ready this year.