COVID cases rising faster in Colorado children than adults, though few kids hospitalized

New COVID-19 cases are rising faster successful Colorado kids than successful adults, and their hospitalizations person grown, excessively — though lone modestly.

Cases successful children started rising successful July, successful tandem with big cases. In caller weeks, however, the emergence has been faster successful school-aged kids than adults, though it’s not wide if the instrumentality to classrooms is driving that transmission. Other imaginable factors see the earthy inclination for dispersed to accelerate implicit time, arsenic good arsenic activities similar sports and summertime camps, authorities epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said during a quality league Tuesday.

“Our children that are unvaccinated are astatine higher hazard than astatine immoderate constituent successful the pandemic,” she said. “Now would not beryllium the clip to bring unvaccinated children to ample gatherings.”

Hospitalizations among children besides person accrued slightly, though they inactive lone relationship for astir 2% of each radical receiving infirmary attraction for COVID-19 successful Colorado. As of Monday, 10 children younger than 12 and 7 betwixt 12 and 17 were hospitalized successful the state, Herlihy said.

Another interest is that cases of respiratory syncytial microorganism (RSV) are rising, Herlihy said. In adults, RSV typically causes acold symptoms that are merely annoying, but it tin beryllium unsafe for infants and children with conditions affecting their lungs oregon immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically, RSV cases commencement to emergence successful the precocious autumn and process disconnected arsenic outpouring approaches, but astir nary 1 got sick from it past year, perchance leaving much kids susceptible this year, Herlihy said. Most states are reporting a akin pattern, possibly due to the fact that measures to incorporate COVID-19 stopped the dispersed of different respiratory viruses implicit the winter.

It’s imaginable a akin signifier volition look with the flu, which had an unusually mild play successful 2020, Herlihy said. She advised adults and kids to get their flu shots, to effort to minimize the impact.

“We haven’t seen this before,” she said.

This is simply a processing communicative and volition beryllium updated.