The fifth coronavirus infection wave in Israel has already begun to put a strain on children's hospitals. When a coronavirus-positive child gets admitted to a hospital, this means that the staff has to adjust and sleeping arrangements have to be found for the parents, and this is on top of the actual health concerns that have to be addressed.
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Pediatric emergency room admissions have increased by 30% with occupancy already at peak due to winter illnesses.
It is clear that departments will be overwhelmed if besides treating children sick with the flu they will also be flooded with COVID cases.
Moreover, preliminary data from South Africa, the United States, and Britain shows that the recently identified Omicron strain is highly contagious and leads to more coronavirus infections among children.
And while more remains to be learned about Omicron, what we can say is that with previous infection waves approximately one out of 200 infected children required hospitalization, and if the new variant is indeed more contagious, then the strain on emergency rooms could be that much more severe.
Of course, we are prepared, and the Health Ministry also told major hospitals to reopen their pediatric coronavirus wards, but the public must be aware of this
Personally, I have made sure that my children are vaccinated and I call on all parents to do the same. There is nothing to hesitate about: vaccines prevent serious illness and save lives.
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