About one in four contagion, 24%, concerns the under 20 age group in the last week. In one month the number of people under 19 hospitalized increased by almost 800, 791 to be precise, going from 8,632 to 9,423. A few days after the reopening of the schools, the data deriving from the latest analysis of the Higher Institute of Health (December 31) worry Italian pediatricians. For the president of the Italian Society of Pediatrics (Sip) Annamaria Staiano “the infections are increasing considerably”. At the moment, the vaccines do not take off with 340 thousand first doses on 3 million children.
Soaring in the 16-19 age group
The ISS report “highlights that the incidence of all age groups has increased in the last week”. The 16-19 age group gives thoughts in particular. “In recent weeks – notes Staiano – in addition to the increase in the incidence in children 6-11 years of age, there has been a surge between 16-19 years. This could be explained by the fact that although this category of children has already been protected by two vaccine doses, only a few days, about 10, has the booster been authorized. Obviously, this is a hypothesis, the spread of the Omicron variant leads to an increase in the incidence of cases even in these young people who have only two vaccinations ».
Confidence in the resumption of vaccinations
Vaccines aged 5-11, on the other hand, do not “take off” even if the specialists are optimistic that many mothers and fathers just wanted to wait for the progress of the first immunizations. «We are optimistic – continues Staiano – although the numbers are not yet completely significant. To date we have around 9.23% of the first doses, involving about 340 thousand children out of an audience of 3.5 million between 5-11 years. There are still a few, there are differences between the various regions with Puglia recording 13%, Lombardy 12%, Sicily 4.24%, Campania around 5%. However, we are optimistic, because the most heartfelt phrase in recent weeks is that of wanting to wait: a certain hesitation was felt on the part of the parents because they wanted to wait for the consequences of the first doses, fortunately it was seen that in the last few weeks no effects were observed. important collateral also in the millions of children already vaccinated in America, about 10 million. They are those of common vaccinations, therefore minimal “.
Infants are also admitted to intensive care
News of the admissions of the little ones arrives from the various Italian hospitals. 16 children are hospitalized for Covid at the Giovanni XIII pediatric hospital in Bari. 60% are less than one year old and the others are between 6 and 12 years old. At the beginning of December, there was only one small patient with infectious diseases. “It is the highest figure since the beginning of the pandemic,” said the director of the Infectious Diseases Department of the pediatric, Desirée Caselli. “No one has major respiratory problems to treat with oxygen, unlike some severe pneumonia treated in recent months. Younger children are always hospitalized with a parent to provide them with care, ”she continues. “The virus circulates because the little ones are not vaccinated,” he points out. “I renew the appeal to parents: if children are old enough to get vaccinated, they do so without hesitation”. A nine-month-old baby, who arrived from the province of Chieti, is hospitalized in Covid Intensive Care at the Pescara hospital. He is joined by three other babies, less than a month old, who instead are or have been, in these days, in neonatal intensive care. «The 9-month-old baby – explained Giustino Parruti, director of the complex operating unit of infectious diseases in Pescara – has a bad interstitial pneumonia. He is undergoing ventilatory therapy; luckily it has not been necessary to intubate it so far. We relied on the pediatric Gaslini of Genoa to treat him, because they have more experience in this area. These are rare situations, which in Italy can be counted on the fingers of one hand. A difficult situation, but slightly improving ».
D’Amato (Lazio): follow the pediatricians, do not wait
An invitation to families «to vaccinate their children and book immediately without waiting, listen to the appeal of the paediatricians of Lazio. The vaccine is the only tool available to stem this situation which is becoming increasingly demanding for children, young people and families and also to avoid the long-term effects of Covid “. It is that of the councilor for health of the Lazio Region, Alessio D’Amato. «Children must return to a normal life as soon as possible, by going to school, practicing sports and playing with other children, which is why vaccination is essential. This is the appeal that I received from the representatives of paediatrics in Lazio and that I wish to share. In Lazio in the 5-11 year range we have exceeded 45 thousand administrations equal to 12% and in the 12-19 year range we are 80% in the second dose. We need an acceleration in vaccination, pediatricians are available to families for any doubt or uncertainty “.