The Omicron variant led to higher COVID hospitalizations among children ages 4 and younger in the U.S. -- at a rate that was five times higher than during the peak of the Delta variant, according to a new study released by the CDC.
Infants under 6 months had the highest rates of hospitalization, the data showed. Importantly, the CDC noted, this age group isn’t yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.
During the Omicron surge from December 2021 to February 2022, the COVID-19 hospitalization rate peaked at 14.5 hospitalizations per 100,000 children younger than 4 in early January 2022. In comparison, the rate peaked at 2.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 children in September 2021 during the Delta variant surge.
Among the children hospitalized during the Omicron surge, 63% had no medical conditions that increased their risk for severe COVID-19, the CDC researchers wrote.
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