“Although coronavirus-related hospitalizations are beginning to trend down nationally among all age groups, the rate of pediatric infections remains at an 'exceptionally high' level, according to experts.
“Across the country, federal data shows that nearly 2,000 children are currently hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. In recent weeks, as the viral surge in the South is finally showing signs of abatement, pediatric hospital admissions have fallen by more than 30%. However, on average, more than 250 children continue to be admitted to the hospital each day with the virus.
“In Ohio, which currently has the country's second highest total of pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations, the crisis among children remains at a critical level.”
(Arielle Mitropoulos. “Ohio health care workers warn of 'astronomical' COVID-19 pediatric surge.” https://abcnews.go.com/Health/ohio-health-care-workers-warn-astronomical-covid-19/story?id=80309375 ABC News. September 30, 2021.)
Front-line workers at Dayton Children's Hospital told ABC News they have seen a "record number" of virus-positive patients, since the highly infectious delta variant hit the state over the summer.
"We're seeing an increase in our census that's been astronomical," said charge nurse Will Andres. "[It's] pretty hard to keep our heads above water, day in and day out."
As of September 29, more than 210 children are hospitalized with COVID-19, across the state. According to Ohio’s COVID dashboard, since July, there have been close to 440 children hospitalized in Ohio.
The reality is that the surge is threatening the capacity of the pediatric safety net. And, children appear to be getting sicker than at previous points in the pandemic – particularly adolescents who have not been vaccinated.
The influx of patients in need of care has left some front-line workers feeling overwhelmed, overworked and mentally drained. The most difficult aspect of this all, according to Karen Davis, a pediatric intensive care nurse, has been watching so many children suffer through the illness.
Michele Nadolsky, a clinical team leader in the emergency room, and a 28-year veteran of the hospital, added that she feels an "overwhelming sense of defeat," particularly as a "large" number of nurses leave the business, resulting in staffing shortages.
A huge concern is uncertainty about what may happen six months to a year from now – “what kind of symptoms or long-term effect is it going to have on them as they continue to grow and mature," Nadolsky said.
Another worrying trend, one doctor said, is the notable number of children who are often forced to stay alone in the hospital because their parents are battling COVID-19.
"I think most of the time, the children who have COVID infections have another family member, often an adult, who is also sick with COVID," Amit Vohra, a pediatric intensivist at the hospital, said. "Those parents are unable to visit the children at the hospital. Oftentimes, nobody's here with them for some hours of every day. So those are the times that I think our nurses step in to provide that emotional level of support that the children need ... These kids are often short of breath, they're hurting in their chest. They're breathless, they're anxious, they're concerned: Are they 'going to die?'"
Dr. Adam Mezoff, Chief Medical Officer and Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Dayton Children's Hospital, says …
“Many of us have have personally spoken with schools, the public health department. I was on a I call throughout the state of Ohio with our other six children's hospitals. We were speaking to the school boards of the state, again encouraging them to make a decision to put children first, make them safe, let them stay in school, let them mask. Masks do not harm children. So we, as adults, need to allow our children to be safe and to do what they can do.”
(Lulu Garcia-Navarro. “Ohio Sees Uptick In COVID-19 Cases In Children.” National Public Radio. September 26, 2021.)
Pediatricians from across the Ohio Valley say this new wave of COVID-19 is sickening children with severe symptoms that require hospitalizations, as school districts continue to try to maintain in-person learning without closures. Hospitals in the region are also reporting capacity strains, and children’s hospitals are concerned about having enough space and staff to treat children who get transferred from remote areas.
Dr. Matthew Bacon, interim division chief for pediatric critical care at Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington, reports all of the children he has treated with COVID-19 have one thing in common — none of them are vaccinated.
“To my knowledge, still, we have not admitted a child to the Children’s Hospital in the age group of 12 to 18 that has been vaccinated,” Bacon said.
(Liam Niemeyer. “More Ohio Valley Children Are Becoming Severely Sick With COVID-19. Pediatricians Are Worried About What Lies Ahead.” ohiovalleyresource.org. September 03, 2021.)
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on May 12 announced COVID-19 Pfizer vaccinations will now be available to Ohio’s youth, age 12 years and older, following members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
Recent numbers (9/26) from Mayo Clinic show Ohio percentage of the population COVID vaccinations (fully vaccinated) of age 12-17 at 35%.
CDC recommends everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to help protect against COVID-19. Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic. Harvard Health reports that the rise of the more contagious and possibly more dangerous Delta variant, combined with the protection offered by herd immunity, supports the CDC recommendation that all children ages 12 year and older get vaccinated.
Children, including very young children, can develop COVID-19. Many of them have no symptoms. Those that do get sick tend to experience milder symptoms such as low-grade fever, fatigue, and cough. Some children have had severe complications, but this has been less common. Children with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk for severe illness.
When children’s COVID-19 symptoms require them to be hospitalized, Bacon said two types of disease or symptoms show up. Respiratory disease is one.
“So kids will get really short of breath. If we hook up pulse oximeters up to them, their saturations will be very low,” he said. “And they feel really rundown, and kind of overall working very hard to breathe.”
Depending on the severity of the respiratory symptoms, kids may need to be hospitalized or admitted to a pediatric ICU, Bacon said. Treatments include steroids, FDA-approved remdesivir for children over age 12 and blood thinners.
“And other than those two, three therapies, the treatment is largely supportive care,” Bacon said.
The other complication kids can get from the virus is called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C. Bacon said the disease is still considered to be rare, but Kentucky Children’s Hospital has seen between 25 and 30 cases.
MIS-C can cause inflammation in multiple organs: the brain, eyes, gastrointestinal organs, heart, kidneys, lungs and skin. It can be deadly, but most children recover with treatment. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t know the cause of the disease.
(Liam Niemeyer. “More Ohio Valley Children Are Becoming Severely Sick With COVID-19. Pediatricians Are Worried About What Lies Ahead.” ohiovalleyresource.org. September 03, 2021.)
Scioto County Stats
The Ohio Department of Health (last updated 9/29) reports the Scioto County “Children Under 18” case count is 1,544 with a population of 16,277. The daily cases trend here is 18.
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