Record number of kids hospitalized with COVID-19 as back to school looms

The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Untied States hit a record high over the weekend.

More than 1,900 children across the U.S. were hospitalized- as facilities in the south neared capacity.

It’s prompted by the Delta variant, which is rapidly spreading in unvaccinated portions of the country, resulting in major concerns over hospital readiness to take on the fall and winter months.

“This is not last year’s COVID. This one is worse and our children are the ones that are going to be affected by it the most,” Sally Goza, former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics told CNN. Children make up approximately 2.4% of the total hospitalizations.

In the coming weeks students are heading back to school in the northeast, and health leaders hope that vaccinations will be approved for kids under 12.

Staff Report

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