With COVID-19 hospitalizations surging again, health officials are more concerned for children than before.
This past week, coronavirus has made headlines as the number of cases rises significantly. Harris County raised the emergency threat level from yellow to orange, a first since May.
Meanwhile, the CDC announced new COVID-19 guidelines, reversing their previous mandate which didn’t require vaccinated individuals to be masked indoors.
Yes, even those fully vaccinated need to begin wearing masks again as the Delta variant runs its course in the US.
However, the biggest concern health officials have in Houston is the dramatic upturn in the hospitalizations of babies due to the virus.
Dr. Jim Versalovic, Interim Pediatrician-in-Chief at Texas Children’s Hospital, told the Houston Press, “roughly 10 percent of those children who test positive [for COVID-19] do require hospitalization.”
According to the Houston Chronicle’s interview with Dr. Christina Propst, more babies have been hospitalized in the past two months than in the entirety of the past three years.
The Delta strain while not considered worse than the original virus, is more contagious, leaving health officials worried about the unvaccinated population, particularly children who are 12 and under.
The vaccine has yet to be approved for kids under 12 and there is no clear indication of when it will be approved.
With kids going back to school in 3 weeks’ time, it is imperative that those who are eligible to be vaccinated do so. Those who cannot be vaccinated should maintain social distancing and wear masks.
