By Amanda Stowe, Editor-in-Chief
Hospitalizations of children due to COVID-19 reached their highest levels in August in the United States and are predicted to continue to increase as a result of the new Delta variant and children returning to school. This may further strain America’s healthcare system, making masks mandates more prevalent.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that new pediatric hospital admissions peaked at an average of 303 per day at the end of August, and this number continues to increase.
“It is scary to see the number...of Covid-19 cases rising in children with the delta variant and so many kids still left unprotected,” Mayo Clinic community pediatrician Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin said. “The pandemic never stopped, and unfortunately, it only takes one lit match to reignite the inferno.”
The Delta variant has played a large role in the surge in pediatric hospitalizations because it is about twice as infectious as the original strain.
“We’re seeing record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in parts of the United States as Delta has come to bear. There were previous times where there was a lot of transmission in the United States and we didn’t see this level of hospitalizations in certain areas,” Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health Joshua Sharfstein said.
Low vaccination rates are also contributing to more children contracting the virus and ending up in the hospital. Hospitalizations of children are highest in Oklahoma, Ohio, Louisiana, and Kentucky. The vaccination rates of these states are all below the national rate. And, as for the nation as a whole, only 44% of 16- and 17-year-olds and 34% of children ages 12 to 15 are fully vaccinated. Scientists and healthcare workers find these numbers alarming as children return back to school where there is more opportunity for the virus to be spread.
“I think it is really scary how low the rates of vaccination are among children because it is only going to prolong the pandemic. It is also frightening that vaccines have not been approved for children under 12 yet because I know my sister is in elementary school and she is afraid of taking her mask off to eat lunch at school because she doesn’t want to get COVID-19 and end up in the hospital,” Newtown High School senior Olivia Bonacci said.
Vaccinations remain the best strategy for protecting children because they are very effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalizations, and deaths.
“I think that we should try and get as many kids and teens fully vaccinated as possible. The vaccine is safe, and it works in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and the severity of it. The most hospitalizations come from unvaccinated individuals. If a fully vaccinated person gets the virus, they will most likely not need to go to the hospital,” NHS senior Kyra Masone said.
This increase in child hospitalizations due to COVID-19 has caused more stress for America’s already overwhelmed healthcare system. Many pediatric hospitals already have a lot of patients as a result of the pandemic in addition to those who have contracted the virus. There has been a significant increase in mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, in children during the pandemic and many people deferred medical checkups, such as their annual physical exam, leading to larger health problems.
“The pandemic has been hard on a lot of people and the many problems that developed have really overburdened hospital workers. It is not fair to them to keep adding more to their plate with so many COVID-19 hospitalizations. It is essential that as many precautions are taken as possible to reduce the amount of people contracting the virus and to make sure the healthcare system doesn’t get completely overwhelmed,” NHS senior Christina Savo said.
Scientists and healthcare workers are attempting to counteract this surge in hospitalizations by encouraging schools across the country to implement mask mandates as children return to school.
“Masks are proven to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If mask mandates are needed, we should implement them. Follow the science and the CDC guidelines,” Masone said.
While many had hoped masks would not be necessary in classrooms this fall, it is likely that mask mandates will become increasingly prevalent in order to slow the spread of the virus and decrease the number of hospitalizations.