US CDC: "Increase in Child Hospitalizations After Delta Variant... No Difference in Severity Rate"

Comparison of Hospitalization Rates Before and After the COVID-19 Delta Variant
"Unvaccinated Adolescents Have 10 Times Higher Hospitalization Risk"

On the 11th of last month (local time), protesters gathered in front of the state legislature in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, to demonstrate against the law banning mandatory mask-wearing in local governments and schools. Ahead of the school openings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommended wearing masks in classrooms, but some state governments, including this one, have legally prohibited mandatory mask-wearing and decided to leave the choice to parents and students.

Although the number of hospitalized children increased after the COVID-19 Delta variant surged in the United States, an analysis showed that the rate of severe cases did not differ significantly from before.

According to major foreign media including AFP on the 3rd (local time), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that comparing the period around June 20, when the Delta variant became dominant, weekly hospitalizations of children and adolescents (ages 0?17) increased from 0.3 per 100,000 during the week of June 12 to July 3, to 1.4 per 100,000 in the week of August 14.

This figure is not higher than the 1.5 per 100,000 recorded during the winter surge on the week of January 9, when the Alpha variant was dominant.

The CDC specifically explained, "Comparing 3,116 pediatric patients before Delta and 164 patients after, the proportion showing severe symptoms did not show a significant difference."

In fact, the rate of those admitted to intensive care was 26.5% before Delta and 23.2% after.

Additionally, ventilated patients accounted for 6.1% before Delta and 9.8% after, while deaths were 0.7% before and 1.8% after; the CDC considered these increases not statistically significant.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky stated, "Although infections among children and overall cases have increased, this study shows no increase in severe cases among children," adding, "However, as infections rise in communities, infections among children also increase."

In another study released the same day, the CDC reported that "unvaccinated adolescents were ten times more likely to be hospitalized."

Analyzing hospital data from 14 states between June 20 and July 31, the study showed that vaccination was highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 among 12?17-year-olds, the age group approved for vaccination among adolescents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.