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Is the delta variant of the coronavirus worse for children?
No, experts say there is still no clear evidence that it makes children and adolescents sicker than previous versions of the virus, although Delta has increased infections in children because it is more contagious.
Delta’s ability to spread more easily puts children at greater risk and underscores the need for masks in schools and vaccinations for those old enough, said Dr. Juan Dumois, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. . Petersburg, Florida.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association, weekly infection rates in U.S. children topped 250,000 earlier this month, beating the winter peak. Since the pandemic began, more than 5 million children in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19.
The delta variant has been identified in at least 180 countries, according to the World Health Organization. In many of them, the rise in infections has also led to an increase in hospital admissions for young children and adolescents.
In the US, the hospitalization rate for COVID-19 was less than 2 per 100,000 children in late August and early September – similar to last winter’s high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the proportion of children admitted to hospital with serious illness has not changed significantly.
The sheer numbers may make it seem like kids are getting sicker with the Delta variant, but experts say it doesn’t appear to be. Most infected children have mild infections or no symptoms and do not need to be hospitalized.
COVID-19 vaccines continue to provide protection from Delta. For children 12 years and older eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations, the weekly hospitalization rate in July for unvaccinated people was 10 times higher than for those who received the vaccination, CDC data shows.
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