US sees highest rate of children COVID-19 hospitalizations

WASHINGTON -- US pediatric hospitalizations related to COVID-19 are at the highest level since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The country is averaging 893 new hospital admissions each day for children 17 years and under, a record high since the CDC started to track the number from August 2020.

Most of these hospitalizations are because of COVID-19, although some are children who were admitted for other causes but tested positive for COVID-19 when they were admitted or during their hospital stay, according to the CDC.

The country saw over 90,000 total hospital admissions for children 17 years old and under from Aug 1, 2020 to Jan 13, 2022, CDC data showed.

The highest hospitalization rates among all children are in those ages newborn to 4 years, who are not yet eligible for vaccination.

The Omicron variant does not appear to cause more severe disease in children than other variants of the virus, and the overall rates of pediatric hospitalizations are still lower than in any adult age group, according to the CDC.

The CDC expected COVID-19 children hospitalizations would continue to increase in the coming weeks.

The CDC urged everyone ages 5 years and older to get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19.