Washington - US January 17 ANI Xinhua US pediatric hospitalizations related to COVID 19 are the highest level since the beginning of the epidemic, according to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC. The country is averaging 893 new hospital admissions each day for children 17 years and under, a record high since the number was first tracked by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in August 2020.
Most of the hospitalizations are because of COVID 19, although some children who were admitted for other causes but tested positive for COVID 19 when they were admitted or during their hospital stay, according to the CDC.
The country saw over 90,000 total hospital admissions for children 17 years old and under from August 1, 2020 to January 13, 2022, according to the data released by the CDC.
The highest hospitalization rates among children are in those ages newborn to 4 years who are not yet eligible for vaccination.
The Omicron variant doesn't appear to cause more severe disease in children than other variants of the virus, and the overall rates of pediatric hospitalizations are still lower than in any adult age group, according to the CDC.
The CDC said that COVID 19 children hospitalizations would continue to increase in the coming weeks.
The CDC urges everyone ages 5 years and older to get a COVID 19 vaccine to protect against COVID 19.