MEDICAL COMMUNITY URGES PUBLIC TO GET VACCINATED AND IT ULTIMATELY COMES DOWN TO PROTECTING CHILDREN
CDC: NEW CASES ARE UP 37% in a week
(Theslicenews.com): Summer came and with it, a pandemic sustaining surge. The Coronavirus is undeniably on the rise again and Americans are having to accept a dreadful truth -- children are not immune and are catching COVID-19 at an unexpected pace. The COVID-19 situation is changing quickly and explosively, signaling that managing the spread could spiral out of control before classrooms re-open this fall. Understanding how to prepare to protect children is the focus in the next phase of mitigating the spread.
WHAT WE ARE FACING
The highly transmissible Delta variant that originated in India accounts for 83% of all new cases around the nation. Last week nearly 23,000 children contracted COVID-19 as schools are starting to re-open. In some areas child care centers and schools have closed, setting in the reality that parents will not only need to homeschool and work from home, but consider getting their children vaccinated -- if they are old enough. Studies have shown that the illness impacts children to a lesser degree than adults, but those studies were performed while the nation was in a semi-shutdown mode where social distancing and mask wearing was more common. This rapid turn around is due to stagnating vaccination rates that officials believe is due in part to misinformation about the safety and efficacy of the vaccinations. A troubling 99% of patients
Delta spreads roughly 55% faster than the Alpha that emerged from the UK because it duplicates itself (i.e., spreads) at a faster rate. Medical experts say the Delta variant is progressively mutating, magnifying the effects of getting the Coronavirus. The virus may result in more hospitalizations, potentially creating a crowding and medical resources issue simultaneously. In fact, the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations increased significantly over the last two weeks by 50%.
"Children aren't supposed to die," Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a symposium on the Coronavirus. She said that to think that 400 of 600,000 deaths is not bad is "flawed thinking."
"400 is a huge amount for a respiratory season," Walensky, the CDC Director stated.
The CDC has spelled out that anyone, including young children, can get and spread the Coronavirus. It is an all ages disease that the CDC says can have a greater affect on "babies under 1 year old and children with certain underlying conditions may be more likely to have severe illness from COVID-19." Those underlying conditions are:
Asthma or chronic lung disease
Diabetes
Genetic, neurologic, or metabolic conditions
Sickle cell disease
Heart disease since birth
Immunosuppression (weakened immune system due to certain medical conditions or being on medications that weaken the immune system)
Medical complexity (children with multiple chronic conditions that affect many parts of the body, or are dependent on technology and other significant supports for daily life)
Obesity
Some parents feel they need more guidance on how to adjust to the "new normal" with children who are not eligible for vaccinations. Shots are only available to children as young as 12. Walensky says they hope to develop a shot for younger children within the next year. A recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics indicated more than 4 million children have tested positive for the coronavirus in the US. Children account for 2.2% of total COVID-19 hospitalizations and .07% of total deaths.
In the Arkansas where only 34% of the state's population has received a shot, Coronavirus cases are flooding hospitals. Arkansas is the top state with cases currently. More than 50% of the country remains unvaccinated. According to USAFACT.COM, a site that tracks COVID-19 data daily, in the United States, there were 61,769 newly reported COVID-19 cases and 252 newly reported deaths on Jul 19, 2021.
Researchers say getting vaccinated lessens the spread of the virus and the chance of being hospitalized from it. This is the reasoning used for taking the flu vaccine, which doctors hope will become the mindset of more Americans to get a handle on the spread.
While the government is not looking to mandate taking the vaccine, it has revved up efforts to stay safe. The White House has condemned the sharing of misinformation, demanding social media companies take accountability for misinformation spread on their platforms. Wearing masks has remained an option although the CDC revised guidance on mask-wearing in May. Some people think the mask mandate should return out of caution. Click the link below for a report that offers reasons to mask up, keeping in mind that when you put on a mask not only are you protesting yourself, but your family.