Why Covid-19 cases in the US doubled among Children and Teens?

Listen to this article

Various reports have indicated that American children and teenagers are discovered the most vulnerable amid the recent Covid-19 spike that continues to make an impact across the United States. The Omicron variant is far more infectious compared to other Covid-19 variants, in spite of its weaker symptoms. They are experiencing a major increase in cases with the holidays over and children beginning to go back to school. More than 326 thousand pediatric cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the final week of December. Moreover, 672 children age 17 and under were admitted to hospitals per day due to Covid-19 from December 27 to January 2. Many doctors are expressing confidence despite the numbers that severe illnesses derived from COVID-19 will continue to be rare.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said at this time, it appears that severe illness due to Covid-19 is uncommon among children. However, there is an urgent need to collect more data to assess the severity of illness related to new variants as well as the longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including ways the virus may harm the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its emotional and mental health effects. There is also new hope that vaccines will become more widespread among children. On Wednesday, the CDC officially approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine booster for children ages 12 to 15. So, children as young as 5 can now receive a Covid-19 vaccine. Parents of children too young to be vaccinated are facing difficult choices as an Omicron variant-fueled spike in Covid-19 cases is making every encounter seem risky.

The health experts say Omicron appears to cause less severe disease and lead to fewer hospitalizations, its rapid spread indicates that it is much more contagious than other variants. CDC said at least 718,000 Covid-19 cases were reported on Tuesday. Moreover, Omicron is currently the culprit in more than 90% of US cases. Dr. Anthony Fauci also said that surrounding children with vaccinated adults is one way to keep them from contracting the virus. Health officials also reiterate that face masks prevent transmissions, and putting them on children 2 and older in public and group settings can help keep them safe. Researchers were disappointed by the setback but are working to restart studies using a third vaccine dose. It is noteworthy that every cough and sniffle is provoking anxiety.