More kids with COVID-19 at BC Children's Hospital, but most are there for other reasons, doctor says
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.