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home / 世界杯决赛2022

most children admitted with covid-19 have short stays, cheo town hall participants hear

it's still not clear if infants have increased risks of infection from covid-19 or whether hospitals are seeing more of it because it is more transmissible or there have been more gatherings.

by joanne laucius

jan 7 2022
read time 2 minute read
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most children admitted to hospital with covid-related illness have had short stays, pediatric infectious disease specialist dr. nisha thampi told an hour-long cheo town hall on children and omicron on thursday night.
the town hall attracted more than 800 viewers on zoom and another 600 on youtube.
on wednesday, pediatric hospitals across ontario joined forces to urge pregnant women to get vaccinated for the protection of their children and themselves after six infants under a year old were admitted in the past three weeks.
“we are seeing young babies admitted with covid and their moms have not yet received their covid vaccine,” thampi said. “so, as we see more infection spread in the community, it’s no surprise that covid is reaching the most vulnerable members of the household and unvaccinated adults.”
it’s still not clear if infants have increased risks of infection from covid-19 or whether hospitals are seeing more of it because it is more transmissible or there have been more gatherings, she said.
“when you have more spread in the community, more individuals will bring it home,” thampi said, urging parents to limit visits to newborns until the omicron variant surge is over.
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“maybe hold off on the gatherings to introduce baby to the community and ensure that every eligible member of the household is vaccinated.”
children under five are not eligible for covid-19 vaccines. children between the ages of 12 and 17 are also not eligible for boosters, but that is under review, the town hall heard.
on wednesday, pfizer said it expected the latest results from a clinical trial of its vaccine for children under five by april.
thampi also urged parents to ensure that newborns received all eligible vaccinations.
“we are seeing a little bit of pertussis and flu just around the corner, so we’d like to help babies get through that, too,” she said.
meanwhile, physicians are still learning about “long covid” — symptoms that persist for months —  in children.
“bottom line is that it appears to be less common. but i can’t give you a hard and fast number for our community,” thampi said. “in general, we’ve seen about one to two per cent. there may be certain populations that have a risk for it, but we don’t know what those are yet.”
the cheo online town hall on children and omicron attracted more than 800 viewers via zoom and another 600 on youtube.
the cheo online town hall on children and omicron attracted more than 800 viewers via zoom and another 600 on youtube. bruce deachman / postmedia
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joanne laucius
joanne laucius

joanne laucius has worked at the citizen since 1989, and has won awards for reporting on health, science, history and farming. she also likes to write about dogs.

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