The rising cases of coronavirus and omicron have shattered the world, in terms of human loss, work loss, financial loss, etc., for the past 2 years. The infection has no barrier and hence affected people of all age groups from teenagers to young adults. Babies and toddlers are no different. Wearing masks, maintaining social distance, constantly being at home, and virtual classrooms are some of the worst effects on youngsters. Though vaccines and booster doses protect us from the major complications of these viruses, safety precautions must still be implemented to curb the spread of the disease.
Covid In Babies And Younger Kids
Omicron has evolved as a major threat to the world due to its large number of variants. Milder symptoms are observed in vaccinated individuals irrespective of age groups, and the recovery is achieved with home isolation without the need to visit the hospitals. As omicron targeted the younger population, the children’s community got more hospitalized in the US, creating a severe panic among parents.
Doctors attribute the increasing number of cases in children to the low number of vaccinations in children and her not fully developed immune system in comparison to adults. The launch of vaccination for older kids brought a sigh of relief for their parents, but still, parents of kids aged less than 5, are still worried about the protection of their kids from the highly transmissible omicron variant. This is in addition to the fact that vaccinations are yet to start for younger children, below the age of 5.
Children found with a runny nose, sore throat, sneezing, headache, fever, tiredness who were infected omicron variant. It is advised by Health officials that parents need to consult a pediatrician immediately to get their child tested if such symptoms are observed in their kids. It has been stated by Health officials that many kids on routine screening are tested positive for COVID-19 and are getting treatment in hospitals for other health issues or emergencies.
The past few weeks have shown a huge spike in Covid-19 cases especially among children, who are yet to be vaccinated.
Omicron causes much milder illness in children compared to other variants, and it is very rare that children below the age of 5 years get admitted to hospitals with omicron infection. Most children do not have any symptoms. The younger kids who are hospitalized recover within a day or two without any need for major intervention.
While the highly transmissible nature of the omicron variant is a grave concern for parents of young kids. As per a statement released by Dr. Monica Gandhi, professor of medicine and associate division chief of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases In California the younger children are at low risk for developing a severe and life-threatening infection of Covid-19.
Kids often follow the footprints of their parents. So, parents should take the responsibility of getting themselves and the others vaccinated and boosted to stay and keep healthy. All members including older kids also should be vaccinated to stop the spread of the infection to other young members who are not eligible for vaccination. Other safety measures include wearing masks and encouraging the younger kids to wear properly fitting masks, especially the N95 and KN95 masks. The habit of social distancing should be imbibed in kids till the Covid-19 plagues the globe along with regular hand washing and frequent sanitization. Parents must avoid sending their kids to crowded places, avoid unnecessary traveling. Parents must maintain hygiene at home and in their surroundings. School-going kids are to be taken extra care of by the parents before going and after coming back from school. Parents must immediately take their children to hospitals if the kids experience shortness of breath, have extreme tiredness or bluish lips, have confusion. Parents must keep themselves updated with the new treatment methods of Covid-19 for the well-being of their children by keeping continuous contact with the pediatricians.
