‘This Is Different’: Doctors Concerned About Kids As Covid Wave Hits Young
Across the nation, hospitals are reporting that admitted patients are trending younger than in any of the previous covid surges — partly due to many older people being vaccinated as well as the transmissibility of delta variant.
The Wall Street Journal:
More Children Are Hospitalized With Covid-19, And Doctors Fear It Will Get Worse
Hospitals in the South and Midwest say they are treating more children with Covid-19 than ever and are preparing for worse surges to come. Cases there have jumped over the past six weeks as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads primarily among unvaccinated people. That is leading to more sick kids in places where community spread of the variant is high, public-health experts say. (Toy and Wernau, 8/22)
Fox News:
Over 121,000 New Pediatric COVID-19 Cases Reported Over Week Span
Over 121,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, data revealed, marking a 5% increase in cases since the beginning of the month. The new cases, which includes data reported up to Aug. 12, brings the total number of COVID-19 cases involving children in the U.S. to over 4.4 million, representing about 14.4% of the nation’s total, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). For the week ending Aug. 12, children accounted for 18% of new cases, according to the data. However, despite the increasing cases, the AAP notes that severe illness due to COVID-19 remains uncommon in children. (Hein, 8/21)
NBC News:
'My Missing Piece': Nurse Who Lost Baby To Covid Highlights Risks For Pregnancies
Vanessa Alfermann never got a chance to hold her son, Axel, before he died. A nurse at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis, Alfermann contracted coronavirus from her husband, Ryan, in November — mere weeks before the vaccine was available to health care workers. The virus led to a rushed trip to the hospital and an emergency birth at 20 weeks. Axel did not survive. (McCausland, 8/21)
In news on other people affected by covid —
NBC News:
Jesse Jackson And Wife, Jacqueline, 'Responding Positively' To Covid-19 Treatment
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, are “responding positively” to medical treatment after having been hospitalized with Covid-19, their family said Sunday. Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago were “carefully monitoring” their conditions because of their ages, said their son Jonathan Jackson. Jesse Jackson is 79, and Jacqueline Jackson is 77. Both were vaccinated in January. “Both are resting comfortably and are responding positively to their treatment,” he said in a statement. (Stelloh, 8/22)
Houston Chronicle:
Rep. Troy Nehls, Texas Congressman And Former Fort Bend Sheriff, Tests Positive For COVID
U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls is the latest member of Congress to contract COVID-19. The Sugar Land Republican and former Fort Bend County sheriff told his Facebook followers on Saturday he was experiencing symptoms after a close family member had become ill with COVID earlier in the week. He tested positive and on Saturday started receiving the Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment that Gov. Greg Abbott also received earlier in the week to avoid more serious complications from the virus. (Wallace, 8/22)
Dallas Morning News:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Announces Negative COVID-19 Test, Four Days After Testing Positive
Just four days after announcing his positive COVID-19 diagnosis, Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that he is now testing negative for the virus. Abbott announced the news in a video posted to Twitter just before 5 p.m. “I’m told that my infection was brief and mild because of the vaccination I received, so I encourage others who have not yet received a vaccination to consider getting one,” Abbott said. Abbott, 63, has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 since late last year. He received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. (Marfin, 8/21)
Nashville Tennessean:
Phil Valentine, Radio Host Who Was A Vaccine Skeptic, Dies Of COVID
Phil Valentine, a conservative talk radio host from Tennessee who had been a vaccine skeptic until he was hospitalized from COVID-19, has died. He was 61. "We are saddened to report that our host and friend Phil Valentine has passed away," Super Talk 99.7, who employed the popular conservative talk radio host, wrote on Twitter on Saturday. "Please keep the Valentine family in your thoughts and prayers." Valentine had been a skeptic of coronavirus vaccines. But after he tested positive for COVID-19, and prior to his hospitalization, he told his listeners to consider, “If I get this COVID thing, do I have a chance of dying from it?” If so, he advised them to get vaccinated. He said he chose not to get vaccinated because he thought he probably wouldn’t die. (Schmitt, 8/22)
AP:
Titans Coach Mike Vrabel Tests Positive For COVID-19
Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has quarantined pending further testing. Vrabel, who disclosed this spring that he was vaccinated, told reporters he woke up with a sore throat and an earache. He went to the team headquarters Sunday morning to be tested, and the result came back positive. Another rapid test also turned up positive, so Vrabel was given a PCR test, which he expects will return Monday as positive. (Walker, 8/22)
AP:
Though Young And Healthy, Unvaccinated Father Dies Of COVID
Healthy and in their 30s, Christina and Josh Tidmore figured they were low-risk for COVID-19. With conflicting viewpoints about whether to get vaccinated against the virus filling their social media feeds and social circles, they decided to wait. On July 20, Josh came home from work with a slight cough initially thought to be sinus trouble. On Aug. 11, he died of COVID-19 at a north Alabama hospital as Christina Tidmore witnessed a doctor and her team frantically try to resuscitate her husband. (Chandler, 8/21)
In news on how to avoid covid, and what to do if you catch a breakthrough case —
Axios:
CDC Recommends COVID-19 High-Risk Groups Avoid Cruise Ships
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said that travelers who are at increased risk for severe illness from the coronavirus should avoid traveling on cruises. The CDC also said that individuals who are not fully vaccinated should avoid taking cruises. Additionally, unvaccinated passengers should self-quarantine for at least seven days after cruise travel, even if they test negative. (Gonzalez, 8/20)
CNN:
Breakthrough Covid Infection: What To Do If You're Vaccinated And Test Positive
Covid-19 vaccines are very effective against preventing infection, but no vaccine is 100% effective. Fully vaccinated people can and do become infected. It's not known exactly how many of these breakthrough infections are occurring, as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not collecting national data this comprehensive. Based on reports from 25 states that do keep track of these data, the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that the rate of breakthrough infections is well below 1%. (Hetter, 8/21)
