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From The Asian Reporter, V31, #10 (October 4, 2021),
page 12.
Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse
for kids?
By Lindsey Tanner
AP Medical Writer
AP Illustration by Peter Hamlin
Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for kids?
Experts say there’s no strong evidence that it makes children
and teens sicker than earlier versions of the virus, although
delta has led to a surge in infections among kids because it’s
more contagious.
Delta’s ability to spread more easily makes it more of a risk
to children and underscores the need for masks in schools and
vaccinations for those who are old enough, said Dr. Juan Dumois,
a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins All
Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Weekly infection rates among U.S. children earlier in
September topped 250,000, surpassing the wintertime peak,
according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and
Children’s Hospital Association. Since the pandemic began, more
than 5 million children in the U.S. have tested positive for
COVID-19.
The delta variant has been identified in at least 180
countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In
many of them, the spike in infections has also meant an increase
in hospitalizations in young children and teens.
In the U.S., the hospitalization rate for COVID-19 was less
than 2 per 100,000 children in late August and early September —
similar to the peak last winter, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But the portion of kids
hospitalized with severe disease hasn’t changed significantly.
The sheer numbers can make it seem like children are getting
sicker with the delta variant, but experts say that does not
appear to be the case. Most infected kids have mild infections
or no symptoms and do not need to be hospitalized.
COVID-19 vaccines continue to provide protection against
delta. Among children 12 and older — who are eligible for
COVID-19 vaccinations — the weekly hospitalization rate in July
was 10 times higher for the unvaccinated than those who have had
the shots, CDC data show. |
