Florida leads country in hospitalized children with COVID-19 as school year approaches, report says
Hours before the first day of school, reports are showing Florida is leading the country with the highest number of hospitalized children with COVID-19.
Health experts say more needs to be done to stop the virus from spreading on campus.
The latest COVID-19 report from the Florida Department of Health shows 41% of Florida residents between the ages of 12 and 19 have gotten their vaccines.
However, cases and hospitalizations are on the rise for children.
The CDC鈥檚 latest COVID-19 review shows hospitalization rates for kids 4 years old and younger have tripled since the last week of June.
鈥淚nfection rate in children is over 19%. Currently, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, we have 172 children admitted in the state of Florida,鈥� internal medicine physician Dr. Aftab Khan said.
Khan adds while most kids don鈥檛 usually experience too severe of symptoms, one group of kids does.
鈥淭he children who have underlying conditions like diabetes and asthma, they can develop serious illnesses and end up in the hospital with pneumonia,鈥� Khan said.
Regardless of the experience, Khan says kids can develop what he calls 鈥渓ong COVID鈥� which includes brain fog and fatigue that could possibly impair learning capabilities, he says making safety measures and vaccines that much more valuable for students and staff.
鈥淲hat do you think about the schools requiring masks for employees but not the students?鈥� WESH 2鈥檚 Megan Mellado asked.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not going to be enough because remember kids can take this virus back to their parents and grandparents and they can become sick if they are unvaccinated so it is a vicious cycle and everybody has to play their role,鈥� Khan said.
There are vaccine events for kids, families, teachers and staff taking place this week at the following locations:
- Tuesday:
The Osceola Community Health Services - Thursday:
The Living Water Fellowship in Poinciana - Saturday:
Osceola Community Health Services
Khan said about halfway through the school year, he anticipates vaccines available for those 5 and up. He says those under 5 could see a vaccine by the end of the year.
