Coronavirus: Is Delta variant making children severely sick? This is what experts say

Even as cases of Coronavirus have largely declined in most parts of the country and vaccination footprint is on the rise, the concerns related to the Delta variant and its exposure to children remain on the minds. Can the delta mutation which proved deadly for a number of countries including India in the second wave, cause much damage to children who remain unvaccinated? Experts have maintained that there is no strong evidence which proves that the delta variant will make children sicker than its earlier variants although they maintain that the delta variant has proved more contagious and spreads quickly, Associated Press reported.

Dr. Juan Dumois, who is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida told AP that the quick transmission capacity of delta variant makes it dangerous for children as the virus spreads very quickly among the vulnerable population Dr Dumois also said that the prevalence of the delta variant further underscores the need of always wearing face masks at public places. Dr Dumois further said that governments should also look at the possibility of vaccinating older kids quickly.

The concerns related to the kids contracting Coronavirus also get reaffirmed by the fact that more than 50 lakh children have contracted Coronavirus in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic. These are the numbers which were formally recognised and identified as the cases of Coronavirus and the actual extent of spread among children will be substantially more than the official statistics.

With the spike in cases among children, a large number of children and teens are also getting hospitalised. In the United States, the hospitalisation rate among children infected with Coronavirus remained 2 per 100000 which is similar to the peak of Coronavirus infections witnessed in the country in last winters. However, experts have maintained that the prevalence of Coronavirus among children has increased which is leading people to mistakenly believe that delta variant is harming them disproportionately. The experts said that most kids who have been infected with Coronavirus are not exhibiting any major illness symptoms and do not require hospitalisation.