WE HAVE A CREW ON THE SCENE TO FOLLOW THE STORY. CONCERNS ABOUT KIDS AND COVID ARE RISING AGAIN TONIGHT. SINCE THE START OF DECEMBER, THERE HAS BEEN A FOUR FOLD INCREASE IN COVID HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS AMONG CHILDREN IN NEW YORK CITY. ERIKA: WE WANT TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS TREND, WE’RE JOINED NOW BY DR. KRISTIN MOFFITT, AN INFECTUSIO DISEASE SPECIALIST AT BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. DR. MOFFITT, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HE.RE LET’S START WITH WHAT YOU’RE SEEING HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS WHEN IT COMES TO PEDIATRIC INFECTIONS. ANY AMOUNT OF RISING CASES WILL CREATE ANGST FOR PARENTS, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HOW OMICRON PAIMCTS KIDS? >> IN GENERAL, SO FAR, WE ARE SEEING INCREASE IN PEDIATRIC CASES HERE IN MASSACHUSET.TS IT’S PROPORTIONATE WHAT WE’RE SEEING ACROSS ALL AGE GROUP. GINENERAL, MOST OF THESE INFECTIONS REMAIN MILDUT B BECAUSE WE JUST HAVE SUCH A LARGER NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEING INFECTED, WE ARE SEEING SOME UPTICK IN THE NUMBER OF PEDIATRIC COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS AS WELL. IT’S PRORTPOIONATE INCREASE NUMBER OF CASES. IT’S NOT CLEARLY A SIGNAL THAT OMICRON IS CAUNGSI MORE SEVERE INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN COMPARED TO OTHER VARIANTS. I WODUL SAY AS WELL, WHAT WE SEE IN TERMS OF IMPACT ON KIDS, WHAT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING IS THAT IF COVID-19 IS BROUGHT INTO HOUSEHOLDS BY ANYONE IN THAT HOUSEHOLD, IT’S REALLY ABLE TO MARCH THROUGH THAT HOUSEHOLD VERY EASILY FMRO PERSON-TO-PERSON. IF THE PERSON WHO WAS FIRST INFECTED IS NOT ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY ISOLATE IF OTHERS IN THE HOUSEHOLD. ICWHH IS REALLY HARD TO DO. TRSMANISSIBILITY IS CLEARLY MORE THAN ANY OTHER VARIANT. THAT SO NOT CLEARLY ASSOCIATED WITH MORE SEVERE INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN. JESSICA: OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE STILL YOG UNKIDS WHO CAN’T GET EVEN THEIR FIRST DOSE OF VACCINE. WHAT SHOULD PARENTS WHO HAVE CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5 BE THINKING ABOUT AND DOING RIGHT N?OW >> THE THING THAT PARENTS CAN DO TO PROTECT THOSE CHILDREN WHO ARE TOO YOUNG TO BE VACCINATED, IT STARTS HAVING AS MANY PEOPLE IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD VACCINATED AND BOOSTED. WE KNOW THAT VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE GETTING INFECTED WITH OMICRON. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE RISK OF BECOMING INFECTED IS STILL DECREASED IF YOU HAVE BEEN VACCINATED AND IF YOU HAD A BOOSTER. IN GENERAL, STILL TRYING TO HAVE AS MANY PEOEPL AROUND YOUNG CHILDREN VACCINATED AND BOOSTED AS POSSIBLE AND BEYOND TT,HA REALLY BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE IN THE HOUSEHOLD ARE DOING WHEN THEY’RE OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSEHOLD. THAT’S GOING TO MEAN MASKING UP WHEN THEY’RE HEADED INDOORS. ITAY M MEAN AVOIDING GATHERINGS INDOORS WITH GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT THEY WEER PLANNING ON. IT ALSO COULD INCLUDE TESTING. IF ANYBODY IN THE HOUSEHOLD IS EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS THAT MIGHT BE CONSISTENT WITH COVID-19, GOING A FAMILY BEST TO ISOLATE THAT PERSON ESPECIALLY FROM YOUNGER UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUALS IN THE HOUSEHOLD AS EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE. ERIKA: BECOME PRACTICED IN THAT FOR SURE. DR. KRISTIN MOFFITT, THANK

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Video: Boston Children’s doctor on how to best protect young unvaccinated kids from omicron

Updated: 5:48 PM EST Dec 27, 2021

Since the start of December, there has been a four-fold increase in pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations in one major Northeast city.

BOSTON —

Since the start of December, there has been a four-fold increase in pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations in one major Northeast city.

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