DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – A new medical study suggests that different COVID-19 variants impact pediatric patients differently when it comes to hospital admissions, but rolling a COVID-19 diagnosis in with another respiratory illness like influenza or RSV increases the risk of “severe outcomes” in younger kids and infants.
Results of the 18-month study were published in Lancet Regional Health – Americas and led by Dr. Amit Bahl with Corewell Health East. It showed that while Omicron cases had the highest hospital admission rates among children ages 0 to 17, serious or deadly cases of illness were less likely during Omicron than during the Delta and Alpha variants.
However, if other respiratory viruses such as the flu or RSV were involved with any of the variants, severe outcomes more than doubled, with infants and toddlers being at a significantly higher risk.
Dr. Bahl said the biggest takeaway for parents is remembering to take preventative measures like hand washing and keeping kids home when they are sick. When asked whether instituting masks would help or hinder illness among kids, he said there are probably better tools to utilize than masking.
“Our ERs are full again with pediatric patients suffering from respiratory illnesses,” Dr. Bahl said. “The COVID vaccines are protective against severe outcomes, and with these co-infections rampant, the more protection our kids have, the better for them and the rest of the population.”
