Hey, Arizona parents: Your kid probably had COVID

About 84% of Arizona kids between the ages of 6 months and 17 years have been contaminated with COVID-19 because the starting of the pandemic, in accordance with latest estimates from the CDC.

• The nationwide estimate is 80%.

Why it issues: The most recent subvariant of Omicron is now the dominant pressure of the coronavirus within the U.S.. It is also probably the most transmissible we have seen because the begin of the pandemic, Axios’ Tina Reed writes.

• It will probably break by way of vaccines and evade antibodies from prior Omicron infections.
• Whereas research counsel lengthy COVID is rarer in kids, they’re nonetheless liable to growing it.

What we’re watching: Whether or not the return to school rooms this month ends in an uptick of instances amongst youth this fall.

Of observe: Comparatively few Arizona mother and father have chosen to get their younger kids vaccinated.

• Arizona Division of Well being Companies spokesperson Steve Elliott advised Axios Phoenix final month that solely 10,726 kids ages 4 and beneath had gotten at the least one dose.
• There are about 343,000 kids beneath 5 in Arizona, although these beneath 6 months aren’t but eligible for the COVID vaccine.
• About one third of youngsters within the state ages 5-11 have acquired at the least one dose, and about 25% had gotten two doses.