Mississippi Delta Variant Surge Hits Children: 7 In Hospital, 2 Of Them On Life Support

Seven children are in hospital in Mississippi after contracting COVID-19, with two of them on life support, as the state is hit by a surge of coronavirus cases driven by the aggressive Delta variant of the virus.

The Delta variant, which is said to be more contagious, is behind the spike in cases across the nation despite the considerable success in rolling out coronavirus vaccines.. It is currently the dominant strain in the U.S. and accounts for more than half the cases. The variant has also caused infection surges across the globe, applying the brakes on a return to normality and disrupting the world economy further.

The variant, which was first detected in India in April, has the potential to cause more severe symptoms, especially among young people.

In a tweet, Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said the infected children have been admitted to intensive care. Dobbs also apologized for the incorrect information that was first released regarding 12 children in the ICU and 10 on ventilators.

On Tuesday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported an additional 219 new coronavirus cases within the last 24 hours.

Ten deaths were recorded in relation to the virus, bringing the state-wide death toll to 7,451. The state now has a total of 325,072 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

ABC affiliate WAPT-TV reported that Dobbs said “pretty much” all of the emerging COVID-19 infections across the state over the past three weeks involving the Delta variant.

Dobbs added that the majority of the cases are people who have not been vaccinated.

Associate Vice Chancellor for clinical affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. Alan Jones, said the UMMC “had more pediatric admissions than we had early in the pandemic.”

The UMMC is currently treating four COVID-19 patients from the pediatric ward. Two of the children are on life support.

Jones added that the “low vaccination rate” is raising concerns about the rising COVID-19 cases in the state, CBS affiliate WREG-TV reported.

As part of the efforts to hopefully prevent new coronavirus cases in the state, the MSDH released new public health guidance late last week, CBS affiliate WJTV reported.

The agency recommended the following:

• All residents 12 years and older should be vaccinated against COVID-19
• Mississippi residents who are yet to be inoculated are required to wear masks in public
• Mississippi residents with chronic health conditions should avoid indoor settings where mass events are being held
• Residents 65 years and older, vaccinated or not, should avoid all indoor mass gatherings

Meanwhile, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is under pressure to issue an executive order that requires wearing masks in school.

Reeves said in a statement on Monday the mandate will not be issued this fall, NBC affiliate WLBT reported.

In an email to the outlet, Reeves’ press secretary Bailey Martin said the governor “has no intention of requiring students or staff to wear masks” when they are inside school premises.

School administrators and parents alike have been urging Reeves to issue an order based on recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.