A U.S. state located along the east coast has the worst COVID-19 hospitalization rate among children in the whole country.
Florida's hospitalization rate is the worst among all U.S. states, and many of the children ending up in hospitals are vaccine-eligible teens.
It is worth noting that children who are aged 11 years old and younger are not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Worst COVID-19 Hospitalization Rate Among Children is Florida's
Florida, the U.S. state with the worst COVID-19 hospitalization rate among children, saw an average of 32 children being admitted to hospitals per day from July 24 to 30, according to a report by Newsweek.
Based on the report, 11,048 COVID-19 cases involving children aged 12 to 19 were recorded in the state from July 23 to 29. Meanwhile, 10,785 cases were recorded involving children below 12 years of age during the same time period.
The Florida Health Department likewise reported that out of all the vaccine-eligible youth aged 12 to 19 in the state, only 38% have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Related Article: COVID-19 Vaccine Can't Be Given to Children Yet, Here's Why
Still No Face Mask Requirement as Children are Set to Return to School
Children are set to return to schools this month despite the growing number of COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant. It seems, however, that wearing face masks while in school will not be mandatory.
According to the Newsweek report, "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order threatening to withhold funding from schools in the state that require students to wear face masks."
Because of this new executive order, plans to implement face masks mandates have been dropped.
Alarming Spike in Pediatric COVID-19 Cases
As the United States faces a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, health experts have expressed alarm over infections involving children.
In an internal document shared within the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Delta variant is said to spread as easily as chickenpox.
Florida is not the only state in the U.S. to hit the news due to a spike in COVID-19 cases among children. Last month, a COVID-19 outbreak took place in a summer camp in New York after 31 children under the age of 12 tested positive.
In Alabama, a doctor's Facebook post went viral after she shared her experiences of "admitting young, healthy people" in the hospital.
"One of the last things they do before they're intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I'm sorry, but it's too late," Dr. Brytney Cobia's post reads.
To make things worse, it is not just COVID-19 cases among children that are on the rise. Both COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus cases have risen in states such as Florida, Texas, and Louisiana as well.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isabella James
