COVID-19 cases: Surge in hospitalisation of children with comorbidities

The number of COVID-19 positive children who were admitted to hospitals saw a significant surge last week. According to the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, as many as 31 children have been hospitalised in Delhi, all below 15 years.

Of these, nine are admitted to private hospitals, as mentioned in a report in India Today. Eight children reported seizures, and two had low blood pressure. The rest have existing comorbidities, apart from Covid-19.

Doctors say there is no need to panic as most hospitalised cases are of comorbidities and report quick recovery with simple treatment.

Sources at Delhi’s Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalay, a prominent child speciality government hospital, said that two children aged less than two years were admitted as Covid-19 patients, and daily pediatric cases are arriving on an OPD basis.

Doctors have stated that hospital admissions for the pediatric group is brief with quick recovery. Still, hospital admissions are not as high as the second wave.

Symptoms for children, according to doctors, in the Omicron wave are high grade fever, pain in the throat, loose motion, vomiting, mostly treating OPD bases.

Dr. Dhiren Gupta, Senior Pediatric Consultant, Sir Gangaram Hospital advised parents to exercise caution and told India Today that "the 11 to 18 year age group have more fever and dry cough as visible symptoms. Despite higher infection, hospitalisation is low and innate immunity makes children less vulnerable."

India is closely watching the surge in the US. According to reports citing government data, hospitalisations of children in the US under 5 with Covid-19 soared in recent weeks to the highest levels since the pandemic began.

The highly contagious Omicron variant has spread around the country, leading to a surge in the hospitalisation rate in youngest children to more than 4 in 1,00,000 youngsters. Since mid-December, the hospitalisation rate in the youngest kids has surged to more than 4 in 1,00,000 children, up from 2.5 per 1,00,000.

The rate among children ages 5 to 17 is about 1 per 1,00,000, according to the CDC data, which is drawn from over 250 hospitals in 14 states in the US.

(Inputs from Puja Shali, Minal Sharma)