Omicron Mutation: Data from hospitalizations of children in the US and Britain

As the new “micron” strain spreads in the US, all unvaccinated people are at increased risk of contracting the disease, including children. The doctors of the Therapeutic Clinic of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Theodora Psaltopoulou, Panos Malandrakis, Giannis Danasis and Thanos Dimopoulos (Rector of EKPA) summarize the latest data on the hospitalization of children.

In the US, the average number of new pediatric hospitalizations per day increased by 30-50% from previous weeks. New York data shows a fivefold increase in the treatment of children with COVID-19. In the US around 20-25% of children aged 5-11 have been vaccinated. The vaccine is much safer than the virus itself, says pediatrician Dr. Sallie Permar, as the symptoms are such that they can lead to hospitalization. Regarding the opening of schools, he said that due to its great value for children, preventive measures should be open and implemented, such as vaccination of children, use of a mask, frequent testing and proper hand hygiene.

In the United Kingdom, more than 500 children were admitted to hospital last week, while 109 children under the age of 5 were treated in two days. The definition of admission of a child with COVID-19 in this country includes those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, 14 days before hospitalization, or those children who are positively diagnosed while being treated. The British government recommends that around 330,000 children aged 5-11 in the vulnerable category be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.

There is no data on whether these increases in hospitalizations of children with COVID-19 are conjunctural, whether the cases are due to the new strain omicron itself, or are due to higher transmissibility, if they are mainly family dispersion. In both countries, with the data so far, the opening of schools is expected in early 2022.