F E AT U R E S TO RY
COVID-19 variants increasingly affect children As the Delta variant began to circulate in late summer and early fall of 2021, the timing of school resuming and children less than 12 years old not being able to be vaccinated combined to produce more disease in children than had been seen in past surges. As a result, the South Carolina Children’s Hospital Collaborative began to report cumulative state numbers of hospitalizations and ICU care. On Sept. 17, the collaborative reported 38 children hospitalized in South Carolina. Those on ventilators and requiring ECMO for support reached an all-time high during that surge. By the time Omicron emerged as the predominant strain, a vaccine had been approved for children 5–12 years old. When the holidays arrived, transmission of the highly contagious Omicron and lower vaccine protection were leading to the highest pediatric admissions we had seen since pandemic’s start. In South Carolina on Jan. 20, 2022, 61 children were admitted to hospitals with COVID-19. Not long beforehand, the EUA was expanded for adolescents 12 years old and above to receive a booster. With the Omicron surge, a change in therapeutic options and an expanded EUA brought alternatives for children older than 12 to help avoid hospitalizations. Unfortunately, these treatment and prevention therapies were in short supply. Outpatient options remained unavailable for children younger than 12.
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