COVID hospitalization rates 10 times higher in unvaccinated kids, CDC says. What to know
The highly contagious delta coronavirus variant has been sending thousands of people to the hospital in recent weeks, and new data show children are also suffering serious consequences from its wrath.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that weekly COVID-19 hospitalization rates among kids 0-4 years old in mid-August were 10 times higher than the rates seven weeks earlier — a jump that coincides with the delta variant’s rise to dominance in the U.S.
What’s more, hospitalization rates among unvaccinated kids and teens between 12 and 17 years old were also 10 times higher than those among the fully vaccinated, suggesting COVID-19 vaccines are highly protective against severe illness even in delta’s presence.
Since March 2020 when the pandemic began, about one in four hospitalized children have required intensive care unit admission. Yet, that proportion has remained “generally similar” before and after the delta variant arose.
Researchers say this suggests increased transmission among adults, particularly unvaccinated ones, may be contributing to the increase in pediatric hospitalizations as opposed to the delta variant itself.
A separate but related CDC study published Friday found that coronavirus-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations were highest in states with the lowest vaccination rates, mostly those in the South, compared to states with the highest vaccination rates.
“Although some data suggest that persons infected with the delta [coronavirus] variant might be at higher risk for hospitalization, it is not clear whether the delta variant causes more severe illness in adult or pediatric populations,” the CDC said.
In all, the two studies highlight the importance of vaccination and masking in schools, indoor public spaces and child care centers to reduce coronavirus spread and severe COVID-19 outcomes in kids.
Children 12 years and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer, now formally called the Comirnaty vaccine. As of Aug. 26, nearly 4.8 million kids have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
After a summer decline, coronavirus cases in kids have jumped more than fivefold in the last month; about 38,000 cases were reported in the week ending July 22 compared to 204,000 added in the past week.
It’s unclear when COVID-19 vaccines will become available for children aged 5 to 11, but Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told NPR last week he doesn’t think it will happen “much before the end of 2021.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 3:49 PM with the headline "COVID hospitalization rates 10 times higher in unvaccinated kids, CDC says. What to know."
