CLEVELAND — As COVID-19 hospitalizations start to decline across the country, cases among children are on the rise. The American Academy of Pediatrics says the number of new cases among children is "exceptionally high." In Ohio, more than 200 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 the week of Oct. 1.
News 5 checked in with local hospitals and learned there are five cases in Cleveland Clinic's hospitals. Dr. Abdulla Ghori, a pediatric professor and medical doctor with the MetroHealth System says it's seeing two to three pediatric patients daily, but the situation isn't critical. Instead, he warns we should remain cautious.
"We are lucky that so far we haven't seen a largest percentage of children becoming sick," Ghori said.
However, at the Akron Children's Hospital, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rob McGregor says it has two children and two adolescents in the intensive care unit, one on a ventilator and several children have been on an ecmo machine.
"We had gone several weeks with one or maybe two admissions a day," McGregor said. "Some days none to routinely having as many as high as 20 last week and we're sitting at 15 today."
Ghori and McGregor say the delta variant could make children a lot more sick, and they are also concerned about a surge in winter viruses like respiratory syncytial virus.
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