Children's hospitalization rates rise sharply in New York due to coronavirus

New York Governor Kathy Hokul said Dec. 27 that COVID-related hospitalizations in New York State spiked over the Christmas holiday season, reports NBC New York.

As of December 27, 5 people have been hospitalized across the state. This is the highest since Feb. 526 and nearly 23% more than any day since Nov. 190.

The statistics among children are alarming

More worrisome is the rise in hospitalizations among children, which state officials have described as "astounding."

As of December 28, 184 children are in hospital due to COVID-19 across the state; 109 of them are in New York City. Two weeks ago there were 70 of them, that is, the growth was more than 200%.

The number of hospitalizations for children in the state has doubled in the past three weeks, and in New York City, it has increased fivefold in the same time frame. Among the children aged 5 to 11 years in the hospitalized group, no one was vaccinated. About a quarter of older children recently admitted to hospital have been vaccinated.

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The number of hospitalizations is on the rise

Speaking of the overall high - and still increasing - hospitalizations, Hokul said New Yorkers can take comfort in the fact that the numbers are far from where they were in April 2020, but they are rising.

“This (increase in hospital admissions) is something we are very aware of, expecting and preparing for,” Hokul said.

Hospital executives, including the head of the largest public health system in the United States, Dr. Mitchell Katz of NYC Health + Hospitals, say they fear staff shortages due to the surge in the disease.