COVID hospitalizations for children under 5 reach alarming levels

NEW YORK - The number of children under 5 hospitalized with COVID-19 saw an alarming rise across the country including an eightfold increase in New York in recent weeks, according to new government data.

Since mid-December, as the highly contagious omicron variant had spread furiously around the country, the hospitalization rate in these youngest children who are not eligible for vaccination had surged to more than 4 in 100,000 youngsters, up from 2.5 per 100,000.

That compares with a current rate of about 1 per 100,000 for children ages 5 to 17, according to CDC data.

In New York from the week of Dec. 5 – 11, 2021 through the week of Dec. 26, 2021 – Jan. 1, 2022, new pediatric hospital admissions for children 0 – 18-years-old increased from 70 to 571 per week statewide. 55% percent of hospitalizations were in children 0 – four-years-old, who comprise only 26% of the 0 – 18-year-old population.

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Pediatric admissions in New York City increased from 22 to 385 per week and the Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions combined experienced an increase from 12 to 112 per week.

During the week of Dec. 27, 2021, to Jan. 2, 2022, an average of 672 children 17 and under were admitted per day to hospitals with the coronavirus across the country— more than double the number from the previous week. Children still represent a small percentage of those being hospitalized, however.

The worrisome trend in children underscores the need for older kids and adults to get their shots to protect those around them, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a statement, Walensky said that while children still have the lowest rate of hospitalization of any age group, "pediatric hospitalizations are at their highest rate compared to any prior point in the pandemic."

At a briefing, she said the numbers include children hospitalized because of COVID-19 and those admitted for other reasons but found to be infected.

In New York, of children newly admitted, 91% of 5 – 11-year-olds were unvaccinated and only 4% were fully vaccinated. Among 12-17-year-olds, 65% were unvaccinated while 26% were fully vaccinated. 

At a White House briefing this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious-disease expert, said many children hospitalized with COVID-19 have other health conditions that make them more susceptible to complications from the virus. That includes obesity, diabetes and lung disease.

Fauci and Walensky have emphasized that one of the best ways to protect the youngest children is to vaccinate everyone else.

Data suggest booster shots offer the best protection against omicron, and CDC this week recommended them for kids as young as 12. Among older ages already eligible, just 34% have received them.

The surge in hospitalizations only heightens the concerns of parents worried about how to keep their infants and toddlers safe.

"It’s been a struggle, and now with this new variant, I feel it’s knocked us back,’’ Hojara said. She said the new hospitalization data "just reminds you that that anxiety is hovering really close.’’

"It’s scary that she can’t be vaccinated,’’ Hojara said of her daughter.

Dr. Jennifer Kusma, a pediatrician with Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital, said she has seen increasing numbers of kids hospitalized with omicron, and while most aren’t severely ill, she understands parents’ worries.

"As a pediatrician, I really wish we already had that vaccine for these young kids,’’ Kusma said. But she added that what may seem like a long wait should reassure parents that vaccine testing is not being rushed.

Many had hoped the new year might bring a vaccine for young children, but Pfizer announced last month that two doses didn’t offer as much protection as hoped for in youngsters ages 2 to 4.

Pfizer’s study has been updated to give everyone under 5 a third dose, and data is expected in early spring.

As of Tuesday, the average number of children and teens admitted to the hospital across the country per day with COVID-19 was 766, double the figure reported just two weeks ago.

COVID cases in U.S. children and teens nearly doubled in the last two weeks of December, totaling nearly 326,000 in the final week alone, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease doctor, said surrounding children with vaccinated adults is one way to keep them from contracting the virus. Health officials also reiterate that face masks prevent transmissions, and putting them on children 2 and older in public and group settings can help keep them safe.

With the Associated Press