Only one of 272 vaccine-eligible pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was fully vaccinated<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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THURSDAY, Dec. 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Many pediatric patients with COVID-19-related hospitalization have severe illness, according to research published in the Dec. 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report<\/em><\/em>.<\/p>\n Valentine Wanga, Ph.D., from the CDC COVID-19 Response Team, and colleagues reviewed medical record data for patients younger than 18 years with COVID-19-related hospitalizations during July to August 2021. Of the 915 patients identified, 713 were hospitalized for COVID-19, 177 had an incidental positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 test result (unrelated to hospitalization), and 25 had multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.<\/p>\n The researchers found that of the 713 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 24.7, 17.1, 20.1, and 38.1 percent were aged younger than 1, 1 to 4, 5 to 11, and 12 to 17 years, respectively. About two-thirds (67.5 percent) had one or more underlying medical condition, most commonly obesity (32.4 percent); 61.4 percent of those ages 12 to 17 years had obesity. Overall, 15.8 percent of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 had a viral coinfection (66.4 percent had respiratory syncytial virus infection). Only one of the 272 vaccine-eligible patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was fully vaccinated (0.4 percent). Of the patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 54.0, 29.5, and 1.5 percent received oxygen support, were admitted to the intensive care unit, and died, respectively. Of those requiring respiratory support, 14.5 percent needed invasive mechanical ventilation.<\/p>\n “These data highlight the importance of COVID-19 vaccination for those aged \u00e2\u0089\u00a55 years and other prevention strategies to protect children and adolescents from COVID-19, particularly those with obesity and other underlying health conditions,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry; one author reports application of a patent with a pharmaceutical company. <\/p>\n