CDC: Omicron hospitalized young kids at 5 times the rate during delta surge

The omicron variant of the coronavirus hospitalized U.S. kids at about 5 instances the speed in the course of the earlier delta surge, in keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC). 

In a report revealed Tuesday, the company wrote that from March 2020 via Feb. 19, 2022, weekly hospitalization charges peaked throughout omicron predominance within the week ending Jan. 8, 2022, at 14.5 per 100,000 infants and different youngsters beneath 5 years previous.

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For infants youthful than 6 months previous, hospitalizations have been “roughly six instances as excessive in the course of the peak week of omicron predominance as throughout delta predominance.”

“Omicron-predominant versus delta-predominant hospitalization charge ratios have been additionally elevated amongst infants and youngsters aged 6–23 months and a pair of–4 years,” the report mentioned. “Month-to-month ICU admission charges have been roughly 3.5 instances as excessive in the course of the omicron predominance peak in January 2022 as in the course of the delta predominance peak in September 2021.”

Pediatric ICU admission charges in the course of the omicron predominance peaked at roughly 3.5 instances the height charge throughout delta predominance, with roughly 63% with out underlying medical situations and infants beneath 6 months making up 44%. 

The size of hospital stays was additionally barely shorter in the course of the omicron spike, with 6% fewer hospitalized kids beneath 5 years previous requiring intensive care.

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Hospitalization charges amongst infants and youngsters age 0-4 years decreased by the week ending on Feb. 19, 2022.

Limitations to the examine embrace that COVID-19–related hospitalizations and viral coinfections might have been missed; that durations of variant predominance usually are not unique to a given variant; that it was not doable to account for seasonality or modifications in public well being insurance policies and remedy practices over time; and that the findings will not be nationally generalizable. 

However, the CDC mentioned its conclusions underscored the significance of devising methods to stop COVID-19 amongst infants and younger kids and inspired all eligible events, together with pregnant girls, to obtain and keep updated with vaccines.

Infants and younger kids belong to the one demographic within the nation who usually are not but eligible to obtain COVID-19 vaccines. 

Vaccine-makers Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech are growing vaccines for youngsters beneath 5 years previous.