South Africa is investigating an increase in COVID-19 infections among children not seen in previous waves of the virus, as the country grapples with the new Omicron variant of the disease that is seen behind the new surge in cases.
"The trend that we see now, that's different to what we saw before, is a particular increase in hospital admissions in children under five years," CBS News cited Dr. Waasila Jassat of South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases as saying.
Rates of COVID-19 among hospitalized younger children in South Africa under five "is now second highest and second only to the incidence in those over 60."
These children also remain ineligible for vaccination in South Africa, unlike older age groups.
"All these young children being admitted, most of them, the parents have not been vaccinated either. So I think, certainly the value of vaccination in adults, protecting the children in the homes, is something to keep in mind," said Jassat.
However, as of now, officials in South Africa are not saying that there's any evidence the variant poses a greater danger to the youngest children, compared to previous variants. They assert that all ages in South Africa are seeing a "steep increase" in infections and hospitalizations.
"We are hoping that in the coming weeks we'll be able to also give reasons for why this particular cohort of patient is having increased infections," said Dr. Ntsakisi Maluleke, a health official for South Africa's Gauteng province, at a news conference on Friday.
While doctors were earlier of the view that children might be less vulnerable catching and spreading SARS-CoV-2, health officials have since concluded that rates of disease among children can be comparable, and in some settings even higher than in adults.
"We don't have the outcome data for those individuals (children). We haven't seen an increased risk of death yet. So we have to wait to understand how those patients will do," the World Health Organization's Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said on Friday, when asked about reports of rising hospitalizations among young people in South Africa.
