Ómicron attacks children and the figures prove it 0:42
(CNN) -
As the omicron variant continues to plague the United States, which just reported a record in average daily cases of covid-19, some children's hospitals are once again seeing an increase in revenue driven by the most contagious variety. of coronavirus to date.
This year's holidays have been accompanied by an increase in COVID-19 cases so high that it has surpassed the record set at the beginning of the year.
On Tuesday, the United States reached a seven-day average of 265,427 new daily cases of covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, eclipsing the previous record of about 251,989 daily cases recorded on January 11.
Croup, bronchitis and phlegmy cough, among the effects that the omicron variant causes in children
The increase in infections is reflected in admissions to pediatric wards in some parts of the country.
An average of 305 children battled COVID-19 in a hospital on any given day during the week ending December 26, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health. and US Human Services (HHS).
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The sobering figure represents an increase of more than 48% compared to the previous week and 10.7% less than the maximum average of 342 children who were admitted to hospitals with the virus in late August and early September.
And while everyone 5 years and older in the U.S. is eligible to receive a vaccine, about 40% of the total population is not fully vaccinated, putting them at higher risk for the most severe outcomes of COVID. -19, including serious illness and death.
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The number of children in need of medical care at National Children's Hospital in Washington, DC, has nearly doubled, according to Roberta DeBiasi, chief of the hospital's infectious diseases division.
DeBiasi explained that her hospital admitted about 20 children at its peak, but that number has skyrocketed to between 40 and 50 during the omicron surge.
He also noted that most patients are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or immunocompromised.
What symptoms or effects does omicron cause in children?
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"So that's really the big difference, and it's not because the virus is more severe. It's because the overall infectivity and the number of cases have skyrocketed," DeBiasi said.
Still, he said hospital staff have been able to keep the death rate low.
"Even children who are extremely ill, in critical condition, we have become very good at taking care of these children," he said.
In New York City, pediatric hospitalizations increased fivefold in a three-week period.
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And at Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital, COVID-19 cases are roughly three times higher than the hospital's previous peak in December 2020. In the past week, hospitalizations are four times higher than the hospital typically see.
Overall, experts warn that the next few weeks will be tough for the country in terms of handling another spike in covid-19.
"There is no doubt that the month of January will be full of short-term challenges. Lack of hospital beds, shortage of staff, tests, shortage of almost everything. It is difficult for the system to handle so many cases at once," Andy said Slavitt, a former senior advisor to the Biden Administration's COVID-19 response team, to CNN's Jim Acosta on Tuesday.
With input from Jen Christensen, Virginia Langmaid, Taylor Romine, and Adrienne Winston.
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