Children's hospitals in Arkansas and Oklahoma — two states where COVID-19 hospitalizations are up at least 60 percent from 14 days ago — are warning that more pediatric patients are becoming critically ill with COVID-19.
Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock reported a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations July 27. The hospital had 24 COVID-19 patients, a 50 percent increase over any previous daily hospitalization peak during the pandemic. Seven of the patients are in intensive care, and four are on ventilators.
While more than half of the hospitalized patients are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines, none of the patients are fully immunized, Arkansas Children's said.
As of July 27, 23 pediatric patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Oklahoma, according to data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Stephanie DeLeon, MD, a pediatrician at Oklahoma Children's Hospital in Oklahoma City, told Fox 25: "We watched our adult physician colleagues go through this in the last year knowing that our kids were a little bit protected and now to see this happening where we feel like our kids are really vulnerable. It's a little bit worrisome. Actually, it's a lot worrisome."
Dr. DeLeon said a combination of the delta variant and ineligibility for children under age 12 to be vaccinated are contributing to the uptick in pediatric COVID-19 patients.