COVID-19 cases in children jumped by 1,100% in Kansas City, health department says
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Kansas City COVID-19 news
As the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus surges across the Kansas City region, officials, hospitals and communities have had to react. Here is our latest coverage.
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COVID-19 cases in children under age 12 increased by 1,100% from June to August, according to the Kansas City Health Department.
In August, 606 children in Kansas City tested positive for the virus.
The health department urged people to get vaccinated and wear a mask. People over age 5 are required to wear masks in indoor public spaces in Kansas City until at least Sept. 23.
Children’s Mercy has seen COVID-19 cases in all ages of their patients including newborns, said Dr. Angela Myers, infectious diseases division director.
Nationally, there have been more than 450 child deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, Myers said during a briefing earlier this week with The University of Kansas Health System.
“That’s more than what we would typically see from influenza,” she said. “In a typical influenza system, we have between 100 and 150 kids pass away in our country from influenza. So we’ve had 450 kids in the last 18 months die from COVID-19 so it’s quite a bit more ... it isn’t the same, it is more serious and it can be deadly. So I don’t want people to become complacent now about this virus. This is still very widespread in our community and it’s far more contagious than previous versions of the infection.”
Some children will also suffer long-term effects from COVID-19, similar to adults experiencing long haul symptoms, including brain fog, headaches and shortness of breath, said Dr. Brad Nelson, a pediatrician at The University of Kansas Health System.
On Thursday, the Kansas City metropolitan area added 611 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total to 182,620 since the pandemic began.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 11:46 AM.
