Doctors call for vaccination as COVID cases in children rise

SAINT ANTHONY – Federal data shows a worrying increase in the number of children hospitalized nationwide with COVID-19. Texas is named as one of the states with higher numbers.

Since early December, there has been a 50% increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

Dr. John Fitch, a pediatrician at Heritage Pediatrics, sees an increase in his own practice.

“Over the past couple of weeks it’s been a bit of a mini-explosion,” Dr. Fitch said. “We had maybe one or two in 100 people that we tested positive. It’s probably somewhere between 15-25% that is positive now. “

There was a similar increase in September with cases of the delta variant.

Data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows the number of children hospitalized in the country with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID has more than doubled in one month, from 800 to 2,100.

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“When you have a lot more people diagnosed, you will see more hospitalizations,” Dr. Fitch said.

While he sees more cases in his office, they haven’t been severe enough to require hospitalization.

Dr Fitch says he’s starting to see gastrointestinal issues appear as symptoms, similar to what was seen at the start of the pandemic. If you or your child has stomach problems, he recommends that you get tested.

A team from KSAT spoke to parents about the increase in cases in children. John Ortiz had just finished a game of tennis with his daughter Natalie.

“It kind of underlines the importance of being vaccinated, especially for children and, and continuing to wear a mask and then use the precautions,” John said.

Natalie, who is 12, was vaccinated in May. Although she is afraid of the real injection, she is happy to be vaccinated.

“I’m not going to get as badly sick as other people could if they hadn’t had it,” Natalie said.

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Dr Fitch agrees, saying the surge in COVID cases right now only reiterates the need for vaccines for everyone, especially school-aged children.

“We vaccinate all the time for rare things, so I think it’s worth the time to vaccinate,” Dr Fitch said.

He expects cases of the flu and RSV to increase as children return from winter vacation, adding that these can also lead to hospitalizations. He says that should be another reason parents should get their little ones vaccinated.