Pediatric COVID cases are soaring in Florida, and not just among adults. On Tuesday this week, 46 pediatric coronavirus patients were hospitalized bringing the state’s total number of pediatric COVID-19 cases to 135, second only to Texas which has 142 children hospitalized due to COVID. The Miami Herald crunched COVID-19 case data and found the sharpest increase of Florida COVID-19 infections over the past 30 days has been among children under the age of 12. That age group is not yet eligible to receive any of the three vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. From the Miami Herald:
A total of 46 pediatric patients were admitted to a Florida hospital with a confirmed infection while an additional 22 were hospitalized with a suspected case, according to the federal government’s hospital capacity data.
Only Texas reported a higher total number of pediatric patients in hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 on Tuesday — 142 children — compared to 135 in Florida.
Physicians and public health experts attribute the rise in pediatric hospital admissions to the more contagious delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 — which produces a viral load that is roughly 1,000 times higher than the original coronavirus strain — and the low rate of vaccination among those younger than 20.
Florida children’s hospitals see pediatric COVID cases soar amid delta variant surge https://t.co/XYy4U4uFgP
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) August 5, 2021
Florida broke records Friday for both new COVID cases and hospitalizations. In the last week alone, Florida reported more pediatric COVID hospitalizations than any other state, sparking debate over masking requirements for schools. pic.twitter.com/6fzMTVowA9
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 6, 2021
Florida has been struggling with surging coronavirus cases for months now. In December the Sunshine State surpassed 21,000 deaths due to COVID-19.
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