What families should know as pediatric covid cases climb in Pennsylvania

As covid-19 cases among kids continue to climb, one Pittsburgh doctor said that, while it’s good to keep precautions in mind, it’s also important to keep kids in school, even if they’re too young to be vaccinated.

Covid-19 cases have been once again rising, fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. In Allegheny County, children ages 12 and under made up 12% of covid-19 cases last month, a jump from 9% in June. In June, 67 children in that age range tested positive for the virus. In August, the number was up to 773.

From Aug. 16 through Sep. 8, there were 193 covid-19 cases in children 4 or younger in Allegheny County, according to data from the Department of Health that is tracking coronavirus cases during the school year. Statewide, there were 2,701 cases among that age group.

In kids ages 5 to 18, there have been 1,049 cases in Allegheny County and more than 13,500 throughout the commonwealth since the start of the academic year.

Amid the surge in pediatric covid-19 cases, Dr. Joseph Aracri, chair of Allegheny Health Network’s pediatric institute, explained what this rise means for families and the new school year:

Question: Why are we seeing this rise in pediatric cases now?

Answer: “It’s not so much the number of kids, but as a percentage of the population. More kids are getting it than adults because adults are vaccinated, especially the elderly. Younger kids cannot get the vaccine. Also, what we saw last year was kids were not at school, so they weren’t exposed to covid. They were mostly getting covid from parents bringing it home, because they weren’t leaving the house. Now they have more access to getting covid than they did last year. Kids are just becoming more active in society.”

Q: Are any of the covid-19 variants, like the delta variant, more dangerous for children?

A: “In general, none of the variants have been shown to be having more serious symptoms. They all pretty much have the same symptoms and the same severity. The only thing is delta is more contagious than other variants were. But children do very well when they get infected in general.”

Q: What can families do to protect kids from covid-19, particularly those who are too young to be vaccinated?

A: “The most important thing you could do as a family is vaccinate everybody that can be vaccinated. Make sure all family members your child comes in contact with are vaccinated.”

Q: With masks now required in schools, why is masking important for children?

A: “It’s most important to remember that masks alone do not stop the spread of coronavirus. Masking has to be a part of the whole package.”

Q: How safe is it to send children, including those too young to be vaccinated, to school as covid-19 cases increase?

A: “I think the most important thing for our children in general is in-person education. We’ve seen last year, there were significant problems for children with reduced learning and emotional problems from not being in school. It’s more important for these kids to be in school than to be concerned about them catching covid while in school.”

Q: Do you think school closures would be warranted if cases continue to climb?

A: “You have to look at the viral load, the number of cases in the school, and make the decision appropriate for that school. If you see a big outbreak involving a large number of children in one room, you might want to consider closing that school room for a while. If you’re seeing a majority of a population of a school that changes classes, you might consider closing for a short period of time. It needs to be taken case by case and made by that individual school board.”

Q: Should children, especially those who aren’t vaccinated, avoid crowds and public settings outside of school?

A: “Anything done outside — outside activities like soccer, cheerleading, football — is usually safe in an outdoor setting. I think it’s very important to normalize these kids’ lives as much as possible. If it’s an incredibly crowded (indoor) area, you should consider masking yourself and your child. But I would try to mitigate the chances of getting covid as much as possible without completely avoiding the events your child wants to go to.”

Q: When might a covid-19 vaccine be approved for children under 12?

A: “It’s difficult to say when the FDA is going to actually approve it. We’ve heard everything from November to January or February. It’s very important that the FDA takes its time and the vaccine is deemed safe. The majority of children, not all children, but the majority of children have very mild symptoms, so we want to make sure the vaccine doesn’t cause more problems than it’s going to be helpful for the kids. We know it’s going to be effective but we want to make sure it’s safe.”