The increase in child hospitalizations for COVID-19 in New York feels like a warning to prop up the vaccination of minors in California and elsewhere as the Omicron variant advances.
The wave of Ómicron reached New York before California, where infections soared in the last week. Golden State officials are monitoring the rise in child hospitalizations.
“Unfortunately, New York is seeing a growth in pediatric hospitalizations (mainly among the unvaccinated), and they have similar inoculation rates [en el grupo de cinco a 11 años]”Wrote on Twitter Dr. Erica Pan, an epidemiologist from the state of California. “Please give your children the gift of vaccine protection as soon as possible, as our cases are increasing rapidly.”
The rise is concentrated in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area. Officials described pediatric admissions there quadrupled in recent weeks.
Half of the hospitalized children are under the age of five and are not eligible for doses. Three-quarters of the 12 to 17-year-olds admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 were not fully vaccinated, and 100% of the five to 11-year-olds who were admitted were partially inoculated.
The warning about pediatric medical center admissions comes as California’s director of public health and health officer Dr. Tomás Aragón notes that state modelers forecast hospital overloads.
“Why? Ómicron is so contagious that it finds unvaccinated / non-immune people who are more vulnerable to being hospitalized and losing their lives,” the expert wrote.
Aragon urged people to get vaccinated and apply a booster; to be tested before risk events -as well as between three and five days after them-; and consider postponing or not attending high-transmission indoor meetings. He also suggested improving ventilation and air filtration, and optimizing mask fit and quality.
Health experts have increasingly called on the public to update cloth face masks. A more protective configuration could be to wear a cloth mask over a surgical one, which improves the fit. Using those that are of higher quality, such as the KF94, KN95 or N95, is even better.
Recently, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, asked people not to go to indoor parties attended by dozens of guests whose vaccination status is unknown. The official said that it is safer for everyone to hold smaller meetings with family and friends in homes where everyone is known to be inoculated and reinforced, and it is even more reliable if rapid tests are done just before the event.
Although unvaccinated people are at increased risk of contracting the virus and serious complications, mutations in the Omicron variant increased the possibility of infection between individuals with the antigen. Even so, these, especially those with the boost, are expected to be generally protected from chronic episodes and death, unless they have a weakened immune system.
New coronavirus infections increased dramatically before Christmas in Los Angeles. On Tuesday 3,052 recent cases were reported; on Wednesday 6,509; on Thursday, 8,633 and on Friday, 9,988. The county reported no new cases Saturday, due to the Christmas holiday.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County have also grown significantly since Dec. 1, going from 569 to 849 on Christmas Eve, an increase of 49%. When vaccines had just been introduced and the supply was very limited; In LA, on December 24, 2020, there were 6,770 people with coronavirus in the local medical centers, a sharp increase from the 2,572 registered on December 1 of that year.
At its peak, Los Angeles County saw 8,098 COVID-19 hospitalizations on January 5, 2021, a time that coincided with overwhelmed hospitals and overflowing morgues.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Southern California are increasing faster than in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Since December 1, the COVID-19 hospitalization rate in Southern California grew approximately 34%, from 7.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, to 10.3.
By contrast, in the San Francisco Bay metropolitan area it rose 19%, from 3.8 to 4.6. Experts consider a sign of concern when the rate is five or more.
The Inland Empire region has one of the highest COVID-19 hospitalization rates in Southern California; in San Bernardino County it is 19 and in Riverside County it is 15. In San Diego County it is 10; in Ventura, nine. In LA County, eight, and in Orange County, seven.
Some experts express the hope that areas with high rates of vaccination and mask use will not be devastated by a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the UC San Francisco Department of Medicine, wrote Friday that while coronavirus case rates are rising rapidly in San Francisco, hospitalization figures remain low.
The bad news, Wachter noted, is that Ómicron is spreading rapidly in San Francisco, he tweeted.
Furthermore, the doctor added that he would be much less optimistic in areas with lower vaccination rates. San Francisco has one of the highest in California; 88% of the population received at least one dose; but in other regions of the state they are more rare. The Los Angeles County figure is 76%; in Orange County, 75%; while in San Bernardino it is 60% and in Kern County it is 56%. “It would […] much more scared if it was not inoculated and with the reinforcement applied. Those who are not immunized are taking risks, “wrote Wachter, who still expects an increase in hospitalizations in San Francisco, but” seems unlikely to be overwhelming. “
In Los Angeles County, officials have expressed concern about the spike in the number of infections. “A very high number of cases can easily cause significant stress to our health system, if even a small percentage of those infected experience and require hospital care”, highlighted the Director of Public Health, Bárbara Ferrer. A peak of cases in medical centers could also compromise the care of patients with other ailments, such as those who suffer accidents, or suffer from heart conditions and cancer.
Still, Los Angeles County can handle the growing number of infected without overwhelming the hospital system, Ferrer noted, if more people get vaccinated and boosted, wear masks in indoor public settings and crowded outdoor areas, and avoid large indoor gatherings.
Ferrer also discouraged participating in large public gatherings indoors, in light of Ómicron’s emergence. “Whatever happens, the cases are going to increase. But we could handle the numbers in a way that doesn’t end up stressing our health care system and preventing the majority of people from experiencing serious episodes and the tragedy of passing away. “
Unvaccinated people have the highest chance of becoming infected and hospitalized with COVID-19.
During the one-week period ending Dec. 11, for every 100,000 unvaccinated residents, there were 272 Los Angeles County residents infected with coronavirus. By comparison, for every 100,000 residents who were considered fully inoculated but had not received a booster, 68 were infected.
Those who had received their booster had the lowest risk of infection. For every 100,000 residents, only 12 were infected that week.
That means that unvaccinated people were 23 times more likely to be infected with the coronavirus than inoculated people who also had a booster. Those who had received the antigen were also much less likely to be hospitalized than those who had not.
For every 100,000 Los Angeles County residents not vaccinated, 25 of them were hospitalized during the week ending Dec. 11. By comparison, the hospitalization rate for people who considered themselves fully vaccinated was one. “Even with transmission on the rise, vaccination continues to be very protective against hospitalization,” Ferrer remarked.
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