CDC: Children hospitalized with COVID-19 at higher rate during Omicron surge

April 19 (UPI) -- Children ages 5 to 11 years not vaccinated against COVID-19 were hospitalized at twice the rate of those were inoculated during the Omicron surge last winter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.

Among nearly 400 children hospitalized with COVID-19 during the wave fueled by the emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus, 87% were unvaccinated, data released Tuesday showed.

Of the children hospitalized with the virus, 30% had no underlying health conditions that increased their risk for serious illness, according to the agency.

About one in five of the hospitalized children was sick enough to need treatment in the intensive care unit, the agency said.

"The overwhelming number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first few months of Omicron were unvaccinated," the CDC said in its statement. "The results of the study underscore the importance of getting children vaccinated and remaining up to date."

The Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 first emerged in South Africa in late November.

By December, it was the "predominant" strain in circulation in the United States, leading to a rapid rise in cases across the country, according to the CDC.

Adults were hospitalized at a lower rate following infection with the Omicron variant, compared with earlier strains such as Delta, the agency said.

However, in January, an uptick occurred in children requiring hospital care associated with the emergence of Omicron nationally, it said.

The findings released Tuesday are based on an analysis of data on nearly 1,500 children ages 5 to 11 years hospitalized due to COVID-19 in 14 states since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the CDC said.

Of these children, 397 were hospitalized between Dec. 19 and Feb. 28, when the Omicron variant was predominant nationally and in the 14 included states, according to the agency.

Black American children accounted for 34% of these hospitalizations, while White American children made up 31% and Hispanic American children represented 19%, the data showed.

Among children hospitalized during the Omicron-predominant period, 19% required ICU treatment, including 15% with no underlying medical conditions, the CDC said.

Of the children treated in hospital ICUs, 5% received invasive mechanical ventilation to maintain breathing, it said.

None of the children hospitalized with COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant died, according to the CDC.

"No vaccinated children who were hospitalized with COVID-19 during Omicron predominance required a high degree of support for breathing, such as nasal oxygen, bilevel positive airway pressure/continuous positive airway pressure, or mechanical ventilation," the agency said.