The U.S. is seeing a higher number of kids in hospitals, as omicron spreads across the country, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told MSNBC.
“Most of those children are not yet vaccinated,” Walensky said Wednesday. “So the message here is: Get the children vaccinated.”
Walensky spoke amid concerns that the return of U.S. kids to to school next week after the holiday break may further spread infections, already at record levels.
December is a common time of the year for children to be admitted to the hospital, according to Walensky, who added that most affected kids currently are seeking medical attention for reasons other than COVID and incidentally testing positive upon admission. Most children aren’t requiring treatment in intensive care units, Walensky said.