CHKD concerned about rising COVID-19 cases in children

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — There is growing concern over the growing number of children testing positive for the novel coronavirus at the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk.

“It’s always concerning when children get COVID,” said CHKD Infectious Diseases Specialist Dr. Laura Sass.

And kids are getting it now more than ever.

“We’ve had patients ranging from age of infancy all the way up to young adulthood,” Sass added.

The number of kids having to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 is at an all-time high at CHKD. 28 in August — more than any month since the start of the pandemic.

“We are seeing an increase of more children being admitted, and that makes sense because we have more on the outside,” Sass said.

Meaning more children are testing positive for COVID generally. In June, the CHKD health care system only had 125 positive tests. That number has ballooned to almost 800 in August.

“We are seeing some more seriously ill patients and we have three current in our intensive care unit where we didn’t always have that many there before,” Sass said.

Doctors say parents should stay on high alert. If kids have a runny nose, cough or fever, the best thing to do is go see their pediatrician.

“It’s hard because at this point now you’re taking your child to the doctor almost for every cold and that might be the way it is until we get this pandemic under control,” Sass added.