December 7, 2021
In the past week in Alabama, new daily reported cases rose 65%; Covid-related hospitalizations rose 20%; and new daily reported deaths rose 67%. Our 7-day average for new daily cases is now 521 cases per day, the highest in 3 weeks. There are 343 patients in 105 reporting hospitals (3.3 per hospital), which equals the highest total since early November. As far as we know, none of this rise can yet be attributed to the Omicron variant.
For now, 21 U.S. states (including Georgia and Mississippi) have identified cases of the Omicron variant, so it’s just a matter of time before we see it here in Alabama. Early indications are that Omicron is much more transmissible than Delta and likely causes more reinfections due to its propensity to evade antibodies acquired through prior infection. However, optimism is mounting that fully vaccinated individuals who have received a booster shot are significantly less likely to get infected. Best news of all: preliminary data suggest that Omicron cases may be less severe than prior variants, although experts are quick to warn that it is too soon to draw conclusions.
Sadly, Covid-19 cases among U.S. children are also on the rise, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. For the week ending Dec. 2, there were at least 133,022 new cases of children, about 2,000 more than the week before, and children represented 22% of all new cases over the past week. This marks the 17th week in a row 100,000 or more children have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the United States. And, of the 6.3 million U.S. children who have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, nearly one-third of them were diagnosed just within the last 3-4 months.
The major reason why infections in kids have increased is that no one younger than 12 could get vaccinated before November 2. Since that date, over 2 million U.S. kids have been vaccinated, but there is a huge disparity among states. As of December 1, Texas had the lowest percentage of kid vaccinations, with 1.2%, followed by Alabama with 1.5%. On the other end of the spectrum, 20% of the kids in Massachusetts have been vaccinated. Likewise, only 39% of older Alabama children (aged 12-17) have received at least one shot, the 2nd lowest percentage in the nation, while 83% of the kids in Massachusetts in the same age group have done so.
In some ways, the hesitation among parents to vaccinate their children is perfectly understandable, given the fact that severe cases among children are generally uncommon. However, there is no denying that more than 1.9 million children in the U.S., aged 5-11, contracted the virus between March and October of this year, more than 8,300 kids in that age range were hospitalized, and 94 of them died of the disease, all according to CDC data. In addition, Covid can trigger MIS-C, a sometimes-deadly syndrome that is most common in the 5–11 age group. As in adults, Covid can lead to lingering symptoms—such as fatigue, shortness of breath, or neurological issues—known as long-haul Covid. Vaccination helps protect kids from all three conditions.
For Alabamans facing the emergence of Omicron, the argument for vaccinating your child is particularly compelling right now. It is clear that Omicron is far more contagious than prior strains of the coronavirus. South Africa, for example, is recording an average of 10,055 cases per day, compared to 300 cases per day just 3 weeks ago, and 74% of the cases it sequenced last month were the Omicron strain. Since children are, by far, the largest group of unvaccinated individuals, they are positioned to spread the virus to more vulnerable age groups when the Omicron variant comes to Alabama.
As the Omicron variant begins to circulate in schools and classrooms throughout the country, the rate of infection among children and their caretakers will almost certainly increase. That is, unless children get vaccinated. Vaccination not only protects the children, but also the loved ones who surround them.
Here are the daily cases in Alabama over the last 14 days:
11/23 - 619
11/24 - 416
11/25 - Not reported
11/26 - 398
11/27 - 357
11/28 - 157
11/29 - 176
11/30 - 477
12/1 - 536
12/2 - 767
12/3 - 595
12/4 - 478
12/5 - 361
12/6 - 281
12/7 - 630