COVID-19 cases surged in Michigan, boosted by infectious diseases in children

As federal authorities warn about a potential fourth wave COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) Michigan has emerged as one of the most pressing hotspots for infectious diseases, and the average number of infections per day is now five times higher than it was six weeks ago.

According to new data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, this dramatic surge is primarily due to a surge among children and teens.

Since February 19, state data show that the average daily new COVID-19 cases for children under the age of 10 have surged 230% over any other age group. The second highest increase in infectious diseases was in the 10-19 year old group, with a 227% increase in cases. The trends in these groups outweigh the trends in the state as a whole.

Increasing cases among children are evident elsewhere in the country. In Minnesota, people under the age of 20 accounted for almost a quarter of the cases reported in March, up from less than 15% at the end of February. Similar trends are seen in other states, including Illinois and Massachusetts.according to Latest data The American Academy of Pediatrics reported more than 64,000 new cases of children nationwide between March 18 and March 25, the highest total week of the month.

According to Michigan doctors and infectious disease experts, many of the increases in pediatric cases may be related to the resumption of school and youth sports. According to state data, more than 40% of new outbreaks (defined as two or more cases associated by location and time) originate from either kindergarten-to-high school or youth programs. However, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, senior public health doctor at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said post-sports social gatherings for young people also contributed to the spread.

“If everyone goes out for dinner to celebrate the big win with their masks off, all those precautions go outdoors,” she said. “Really, this seems to have caused this surge.”

The state allowed schools to resume contact sports on February 8, but testing was not mandatory for all sports. After more than a month, we adjusted our policy to require testing of all sports, contact or non-contact. Effective on Friday.. Bagdasarian says the change, like other mitigations, has been repulsed.

Children are generally Low risk of severe cases Some of COVID-19 are suffering heavy sickness..Some children continue to develop a condition called Pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) A rare condition that can affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs after infection. As of March 1, more than 2,600 cases have been reported nationwide, with 33 deaths.

Doctors in Michigan are concerned that the current surge in COVID infection will lead to an increase in the syndrome within the coming weeks and months. Bagdasarian says anecdotally, it’s already happening.

Beaumont Health, Michigan’s largest healthcare system, says it is on the rise in MIS-C cases. Dr. Bishara Freij, Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Beaumont Royal Oak, said his hospital had three MIS-C cases in the ICU last month, for a total of eight cases this year. He said cases of MIS-C are usually two to six weeks behind the peak of infection, fueling concerns that more is ongoing.

One of the three MIS-C patients at Beaumont Royal Oak in March was 4-year-old Juliana Elk Holly. He was in the ICU for 6 days. Her parents said there was little or no information about MIS-C before the child was admitted to the emergency room, and early symptoms of the normal head until escalated, including a persistent rash. He added that it looked like a cold.

“It was a really scary experience,” said Juliana’s mother Michelle, holding back tears. “It was hard to spend with my kids. I just want to protect them all the time and I don’t want to see the tubes connected everywhere in the ICU and going through them.” I urged others to rethink whether it is essential and worth the risk.

Recently, federal health officials have categorically claimed that the end of the pandemic may be near, but it is not time to relax the restrictions. Obligation of mask.. The recent increase in infectious diseases has led to a fervent plea from CDC director Dr. Rochelle Warrensky earlier this week. A sense of “imminent ruin”.

“We don’t have the luxury of laziness,” she said.

Authorities are concerned about the increase in pediatric cases and their contribution to the community, COVID-19 vaccine for children I’m making progress.Preliminary data from Pfizer showing the vaccine Fully effective for children ages 12-15 An important sign of hope. All three US-approved vaccines are being tested in children, and vaccination for some age groups is expected to begin by the fall of the school year. Bagdasarian says it is imperative that the vaccine be available as soon as possible.

“Getting a vaccine for that child’s age group is our best chance to reach herd immunity,” she said.

Freij said in the meantime that it is important for adults to overcome hesitation and decide to be shot.

“Our health is all tied together. We stand together and fall together,” he said. “And I think people should probably loosen some strongly held beliefs and try to help those around them.”