UPMC: Rising Children’s COVID | News, Sports, Work

“Toddlers are at higher risk of infection than at any other time during the pandemic.” Dr. John Williams, Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, said.

“Unlike many have heard, children can become infected with COVID and infect family, friends, and other members of the community with the virus.” Williams said.

Williams said more and more children are being treated for COVID-19 in clinics and emergency rooms at the UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, which can lead to hospitalization. Williams cites two main reasons for the increase in infections in children. It is a mitigation effort and a more contagious, easier-to-spread delta variant.

“It’s not as bad as my colleagues and children’s hospitals across the country, but I don’t want it to be that bad. One of the key ways to keep it from getting so bad is to protect children with masks and vaccines.” Williams said.

Williams said the vaccine protects not only infants, such as children under the age of 12, who are not eligible for vaccination, but also vulnerable members of the population.

Testing is also an important part of reducing the virus, and Williams recommended testing anyone with fever or other respiratory symptoms.

“Most children who are ill, and virtually all children who are hospitalized, are unvaccinated children, and many have co-morbidities with other underlying medical conditions, Many of them are otherwise healthy children. “ He said.

Williams has joined Dr. Rachel Sacrowitz, Chief Medical Officer of the UPMC ICU Service Center and Vice-Chair of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. Dr. Derek C. Angus, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of UPMC and Chair of the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC’s School of Critical Care Medicine at Zoom’s press conference on Wednesday.

Sakrowitz talked about increasing hospitalizations in the sector of the population to be vaccinated, but for some reason did not get them.

According to Sacrowitz, the average age of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 is almost 10 years younger than the peak pandemic in December 2020.

“Delta is widespread among those who previously thought it was less vulnerable. Many healthy people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s were hospitalized in the UPMC and became seriously ill. ICU care is needed. “ Sacrowitz said.

“I’m worried. These are people who have few other health problems and are looking forward to many healthy years otherwise. But the overwhelming majority have one thing in common. That is, they have not been vaccinated with COVID-19. “ She added.

Sacrowitz said the risk of hospitalization for unvaccinated people is 29 times higher than that for vaccinated people.

“In the past few weeks, 19 times more unvaccinated patients under the age of 50 have been admitted to UPMC hospitals than vaccinated patients.” She said.

Sakrowitz shares what medical professionals have experienced during the pandemic and is now facing again with an increasing number of cases.

“”Now we are experiencing this trauma many times. And what makes this wave particularly traumatic is that it was largely preventable, “said Sacrowitz.

All doctors believed that vaccinations, masks, distances, and other medical relief were the beliefs of all doctors, but that patients who became ill with COVID-19 could use monoclonal antibodies and other treatments to help recover. Angus said.

“So if you get COVID-19, UPMC is here for you.” Angus said. “We don’t want to put you in the ICU or in a regular hospital bed. We do it as needed, but what we want to do is keep you out of the hospital altogether. is.”

Angus said the hospital system adapted clinical trials from traditional practices because patients need to be treated with coronavirus as soon as possible during a pandemic. Last spring, they launched a remap of their clinical trial platform.

“(It) is a platform trial that can give all of our patients the best COVID-19 therapy in a coordinated way. This will help us learn the best treatments for COVID-19 patients at unprecedented speed. I was able to.” Angus said.

Angus cited some examples of this new approach.

“Cheap steroids have been found to help sick inpatients and even reduce their chances of death. Anticoagulants have also been found to be very important in helping moderately inpatients. Resolved the argument that hydroxychloroquine simply did not work. “ He said.