More kids with COVID-19 at BC Children's Hospital, but most are there for other reasons, doctor says

Victoria -

While the number of young patients at BC Children's Hospital with COVID-19 has increased slightly, an infectious disease expert stressed that the majority of them were admitted for different reasons.

As of Thursday, there are 11 kids at the hospital with COVID-19. Dr. Laura Sauve, who is a pediatric infectious disease specialist, said about three-quarters happen to have the virus, while the rest are there to be treated because of the virus.

The increase in patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 is linked to higher levels of transmission in the community, Sauve said, and not a reason to panic.

"We have a small number of children hospitalized because of COVID, and that's been no different than we've seen over the last month," Sauve added.

Earlier this week, BC Children's Hospital took to social media to address what it called "misinformation" about a sudden spike in cases involving kids.

"We are not currently seeing a dramatic change in hospitalization rates in children due to COVID-19," the hospital said on Twitter.

The distinction Sauve made is one the provincial health officer said is being looked at in the government's reporting. B.C. currently reports how many people are being treated due to the virus, as well as those who happen to test positive while hospitalized for other reasons.

Dr. Bonnie Henry told reporters last week that the number may not capture the true impact of the Omicron variant, which resulted in record-breaking hospitalization numbers Thursday.

"We're in the process right now of trying to tease through what's the best measure for us to understand the impact of Omicron on the severity of illness and on hospitalizations," Henry said.

Sauve said the biggest impact she's seen on kids is the impact on their mental health, noting that isolation from friends and family can be devastating.

To boost their protection, she recommended parents get their children vaccinated, even if the rate of hospitalization is low.

"It's another layer of protection the will decrease the already small chance of having severe disease," Sauve told CTV News.