COVID Cases Increasing As Kids Head Back To School

covid-cases

As kids head back to school, parents and caregivers may be concerned about illnesses like COVID

While the current COVID wave is not as severe as the initial beta wave, COVID – and other respiratory virus infections like influenza and RSV – can still cause life-threatening complications in high-risk populations, according to Dr. Satyanarayan Hegde, pediatric pulmonology specialist and chief medical officer at Access Pediatric.

The high-risk population includes those with:

  • Asthma
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Compromised immune systems
  • Chemotherapy treatments
  • Congenital heart disease
  • Cerebral palsy

“Kids can still get hospitalized and end up in the ICU with respiratory failure and needing breathing support,” said Dr. Hegde.

Dr. Hegde says respiratory viruses spread rapidly through school children, even though most of them may be asymptomatic.

“We will probably have a COVID wave starting in September with kids having lots of coughs, colds, bronchitis, asthma attacks, and pneumonia triggered by COVID. Some of these kids could become very sick and few may even die,” he said.

COVID Impacts Each Child Differently

“We have seen some premature and high-risk infants who have mild COVID symptoms but are hospitalized for some other reasons, while we have also seen otherwise normal children being hospitalized with COVID pneumonias. In a nutshell, the short term effect can vary from being asymptomatic, mild cold to severe pneumonias and respiratory failures,” said Dr. Hegde.

He says the long-term effect usually stems from the short-term complications such as

pneumonia and the need for mechanical ventilation that can scar lungs. That can cause bronchiectasis and obstructive lung diseases.

In addition to COVID, there are more than 20 different forms of respiratory viruses that circulate in the community that tend to be more active during the fall and winter months, according to Dr. Hegde.

The Centers for Disease Control and NAtional Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System report rhino enterovirus is also on the rise.

“Rhino enterovirus is the common cold virus but in vulnerable and high-risk populations, it can cause the same problems that COVID does. Non-COVID Coronaviruses and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are also on the rise.For children under two, we now have an effective RSV vaccine,” said Dr. Hegde.

In need of a pediatric pulmonology specialist? Visit Access Pediatric for high quality pediatric telehealth with no wait or hassles.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit www.accesspediatric.com