Memphis health expert gives tips on how to keep kids safe during COVID-19 surge

MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Amid this surge in coronavirus circumstances, children’s hospitals throughout the country are reporting an influx of pediatric patients joined to the really contagious Omicron variant. This spike arrives as children are times away from returning to the classroom in Shelby County.

As the variety of coronavirus conditions go on to crack information across Shelby County, health officials are especially concerned about a person trend.

Shelby County has additional than 13,000 active circumstance correct now and just more than 20{b574a629d83ad7698d9c0ca2d3a10ad895e8e51aa97c347fc42e9508f0e4325d} of them require kids under 17 many years aged. Some of the extreme instances finished up listed here at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical center.

Dr. Sandy Arnold is chief of pediatric infectious health conditions at Le Bonheur. Irrespective of the surge, they even now have beds readily available but she is nervous about the way things are heading.

“We are looking at far more small children examination positive. Our figures have certainly gone up in the last few of weeks in comparison to most of the slide,” Dr. Arnold mentioned. “I do fear about hospitalizations in that age group and then I fear about all the unvaccinated young children who are in excess of 5 and there are quite a few of them out there far more children in those age teams are unvaccinated than are vaccinated.”

Data from the Shelby County Overall health Division displays that 24.6{b574a629d83ad7698d9c0ca2d3a10ad895e8e51aa97c347fc42e9508f0e4325d} of youngsters are entirely vaccinated.
It is a range Dr. Arnold thinks we will need to raise if we want to defeat this fifth wave.

“Get on your own vaccinated. Get your youngsters vaccinated, vaccinate all people around, you’re susceptible people today. That’s your younger youngsters and you’re immunocompromised and incredibly elderly people today,” she explained.

With college students times absent from retuning to faculty, Dr. Arnold recommends mom and dad really encourage their kids to put on a mask and social length in purchase to remain wholesome.

“We have to determine out how to stay with it appropriate. And so closing down faculties is not necessarily the respond to but becoming as protected in universities as you can probably be,” she explained.

SCS partnered with Poplar healthcare to supply coronavirus testing for pupils by way of December 30, but other screening locations will be open for the duration of the New Year’s holiday weekend.