Covid Delta variant infections surge in US: 4,400 children develop Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome

WASHINGTON, Aug 15: Concern is growing in the US with the Delta variant reportedly not sparing the children and those below 12 years of age not being eligible for covid vaccination, especially as the schools are opening for in-person teaching. Different regions have different timings. South opens early in August. Educators are worried that children continue to lose the vital socialising part of physical learning. Although in the US children up to 12 years are allowed vaccination, down from the universal 18 years, so far only less than 30% of the bloc has been immunised, delaying herd immunity.

Nine schools across North Carolina (now it has a mask mandate) have reported clusters of infection and 93 active cases. All across, there were 94,000 child cases in the last week of July. Arkansas’ children’s hospital has too many kids in ICUs and ventilators currently. The overall vaccination rates are also lower in the Red States of Florida and Arkansas. Nine States, including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, New York and Washington, have indoor mask mandates. In South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Montana, Tennessee and Texas local authorities and schools are forbidden from enforcing mask mandates in violation of the CDC guidelines. South Carolina even threatened the schools against mask mandate.

There had been 4.3 million confirmed covid infections among children in the US till last week, according to official data, and taking into account the fact that covid can be equally asymptomatic, the figure could be much higher. This differs from the past year's experience that covid infects children very rarely. The more transmissible Delta is driving more and more children to the hospitals. Nearly 2% of cases land up in hospital.

As children have better immunity and do not have much of comorbidities, it was explained earlier that they are less susceptible. Although they can be carriers. Besides, children do not have enough receptors called ACE2 for the virus to enter their cells. However, these arguments do not stand up before Delta. With the new Delta which multiplies faster in our body and has a viral load in the nostrils of an infected adult a 1,000 times more than in the cases of the earlier covid version, the CDC has described the situation as worse than smallpox.

Again we are back to the preventive steps as the best way to save our children - Masking, Distancing, Ventilation and Testing.

With the US Federal Government recommending a fortnight ago that even fully vaccinated people should wear masks in public indoor space and the schools must follow universal masking as the deadly Delta variant of covid is surging all over the country, many States, schools and businesses have been issueing mandates to strictly follow the covid guidelines.

On the contrary, Republican Governor of Texas Greg Abbott issued an executive order barring local Governments and other authorities from issuing any vaccine or masking mandates. He said that protection against the virus is a personal responsibility, not forced by a Government order.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

Pediatric cases and hospitalizations in the US have increased in recent weeks. What is alarming is children who have had covid are delveloping what is called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare but serious disorder. So far 4,400 children have been reported afflicted by MIS-C of whom 37 have succumbed to the complication. MIS-C can occur weeks after covid and it can also occur in asymptomatic cases where only tests will confirm the covid infection. It is all the more essential that the schools implement the prevention strategies, the CDC said, especially because children under 12 years are not yet eligible for vaccination.

Florida and Louisiana have recorded the highest number of cases. The southern States are most affected. More and more children are getting infected. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said hospitalizations hit a record high of at least 2,907 patients.

Alabama is seeing a lot of children falling sick and admitted to hospital. Total cases are almost twice as many right now as did at the previous worst part of the pandemic, which was probably in January, officials said.

As 22 per cent of the US population is under age 18 years, unless children too get vaccinated, the country will not reach the herd immunity level.

The Delta variant is responsible for 93.4% of covid cases in the US currently, CDC said. In Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska it is 98%. Delta, that ravaged India first, is the dominant strain worldwide and is much more severe than earlier versions, CDC stated. Hospitalisations are more globally, in the case of Delta. The CDC advises the vaccinated people also to wear masks indoor. Florida, Texas and Missouri were leading in cases by July end. Cases were doubling. 1 in 5 total infections is from Florida. Most hospital cases in the country are of unvaccinated, yet Republican vaccine resistance continues.