More Kids Are Getting COVID And Some Need The ICU, CDC Warns

One of the steady myths about COVID-19 is that kids can’t get it. The CDC warns that this isn’t true, and the numbers prove it. Children who are hospitalized are just as likely as adults to end up in the intensive care unit.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on Friday that explains that the rate of COVID-19–associated hospitalization among people under 18 (8.0 per 100,000 population) is low compared to adults who are hospitalized with coronavirus (164.5 per 100,000). However, one in three hospitalized children was admitted to an ICU, which is the same rate as adults.

In Dallas, Texas, children under 18 keep contracting COVID. In March, only 2% of those in that age group tested positive. In August, 15% are now positive, CBS DFW reports.

Dr. Nicholas Rister, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Cook Children’s Hospital, explained that kids end up in the hospital because they’re having trouble breathing. Those with intense respiratory distress may need to be intubated. Some may also need IV fluids if they experience symptoms such as vomiting or nausea, making them dehydrated.

"We've had 90 deaths in children in the United States already, in just a few months," Dr. Sean O'Leary, vice-chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, told CNN.

The news outlet reports that in addition to the standard symptoms (coughing, difficulty breathing, losing the sense of smell), parents should also keep an eye out for fast-spreading rashes, low energy and difficulty staying awake.

"It's very important to let the doctor know immediately if you can't really get them up, if they're falling asleep all the time and just exhausted, if they're not drinking, not eating -- the activities of daily living," pediatrician Dr. Daniel Cohen emphasized.