Suburban Pediatrician Says Delta Variant Impacting Kids "More Than Ever"
The Illinois Department of Public Health says kids 19 and under made up 40% of COVID-19 cases in July. Pediatrician Dr. Uma Levy says the Delta variant is more transmissible than the original strain and is impacting more children than ever.
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A suburban pediatrician says she’s “disheartened” that more people aren’t taking the latest threats of COVID-19 seriously. Dr. Uma Levy, a pediatrician with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital has seen firsthand the infections impacting children are on the rise.
She says last year’s narrative that COVID didn’t impact children as severely as adults has changed with the Delta variant.
“The Delta variant is so much more highly transmissible and more kids are getting infected, a larger number of kids are now being hospitalized as a result. Yes, there have been more hospitalizations. We want the deaths to be zero, so any are still too many,” she said. “Typically, I think it still holds true that the majority of children have milder symptoms and do not require hospitalization, but the scary thing is that we are seeing the hospitalizations are increasing, I think, as a consequence of more kids being infected.”
She says the vaccine is safe for kids and adults. With children 9 and 11, she says her kids will be vaccinated as soon as kids under 12 are approved.
Here’s our Q&A with Dr. Levy:
(These questions and some responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.)
The Illinoize: What impact is the Delta variant having on children?
Dr. Uma Levy: I would say pretty huge. I’m in DuPage County, so the numbers aren’t as dramatic as they are in some other parts of the country, especially the south. Our numbers, even in DuPage, are slowly rising again. We’re seeing our hospitalizations increasing. This does appear to be making a comeback and I would say that the Delta variant is probably largely to blame. It’s up to 90% of the new infections. It is extremely transmissible and it’s about as transmissible as Chicken Pox. These are kind of scary statistics. We’re doing more tests [on children] than we had been earlier this summer and we’re definitely seeing more positive cases of COVID, which, I’m assuming, are likely due to the Delta variant.
The Illinoize: During the height of the pandemic last year, it was generally considered that kids weren’t very susceptible to getting COVID or transmitting the virus. Is Delta different?
Dr. Levy: That was true last year, but about 15% of new COVID cases have been children (under 10). It’s definitely a thing of the past where we can say kids are not affected. We’ve had a few children in our practice develop severe complications. I never believed that it didn’t effect kids at all, but, definitely now more than ever, it is effecting children.
The Illinoize: Can it be as serious for kids? Are we talking about hospitalizations, ventilators, and, God forbid, death?
Dr. Levy: I think because the Delta variant is so much more highly transmissible and more kids are getting infected, a larger number of kids are now being hospitalized as a result. Yes, there have been more hospitalizations. We want the deaths to be zero, so any are still too many. Typically, I think it still holds true that the majority of children have milder symptoms and do not require hospitalization, but the scary thing is that we are seeing the hospitalizations are increasing, I think, as a consequence of more kids being infected.
The Illinoize: That brings us to schools starting soon. If a kid contracts this, with as quickly as this spreads, does it bring a big risk home with them?
Dr. Levy: It brings a huge risk home. In fact, I was pushing for a mask mandate in my school district. I had written a petition and gotten over 700 signatures for that. But, there was a strong anti-mask opposition. But, fortunately, the Governor’s mandate made that a moot point, which I was very relieved about and very thankful for. Science changes. Our knowledge of this disease has changed. It’s not like we made a mistake last year. But, last year, the knowledge was that kids are not big spreaders of COVID and that’s found not to be the case [with Delta]. And, yes, they most definitely can spread it, even if their infection is mild or even asymptomatic, they can spread it to [unvaccinated] and immunocompromised family members, grandparents, and siblings that are too young to be vaccinated.
The Illinoize: We’re not talking about putting kids in well-fitted, perfectly functioning N95 masks. Does even a cloth or paper mask really do enough when we’re talking about 20 kids squeezed into a classroom?
Dr. Levy: I think it does enough when combined with other safety precautions like social distancing. The latest CDC guidance says that if children are socially distanced, at least three feet apart, if at least one of them is infected, as long as both children are wearing well-fitting masks and there’s universal masking across the school, quarantine is not necessary. Which is huge. I think our kids have had their schooling get so disrupted and their learning got so impacted over the past year and a half due to remote learning and quarantines, so I think that’s great in terms of its impact on kids. In general, I recommend a three layer cloth mask. These have been shown to be adequate in terms of both the person wearing it and containing respiratory droplets so the person cannot spread significant amounts of virus. Even better than that would be a surgical mask under a cloth mask, which would provide possibly as much protection as an N95 [mask]. I think comfort is key. The best mask on a child will be ineffective if the child isn’t wearing it. It has to be a mask the child is comfortable in and able to wear for 8 hours at a time. With young kids, making it fun, setting a good example at home, practicing at home, getting patterns they like, cartoon characters, colors, I think is all really important. At the end of the day, a mask is only as effective as how much you wear it.
The Illinoize: Are you frustrated that masking has become such a political football?
Dr. Levy: I’m baffled by the parents who have all these wacky theories that they heard on YouTube and Facebook and Twitter about how it’s harmful to the child to wear a mask, how it causes low oxygen and headaches. These things are all blatantly false.
The Illinoize: Kids over 12 are approved for the COVID vaccine now, and younger kids could be approved in the next few months. With the science we’ve seen so far, do you have any hesitation recommending this vaccine for kids?
Dr. Uma Levy
Dr. Levy: The science is very clear. This is a very safe vaccine for the vast majority of people and it is extremely effective, even against the Delta variant. I am strongly encouraging it for every single one of my patients who is 12 and up and once we get approval for the younger age range, I’ll be recommending it for them also.
The Illinoize: You’ll have no doubt.
Dr. Levy: I will have no doubt. I have children who are 9 and 11 and they’re getting it as soon as they possibly can. I have a lot of confidence in this vaccine. That’s what I tell my patients everyday who are on the fence about it.
The Illinoize: What about side effects?
Dr. Levy: The benefit way outweighs any risks associated. There’s nothing we do in medicine that’s 100% without risk. Almost all of the reactions we have seen as a result of this vaccine have been temporary. I don’t think death is any sort of recognized side effect of the vaccine.
The Illinoize: As you’ve talked to parents, why are people not trusting their doctor and trusting bogus conspiracy theories?
Dr. Levy: It’s very sad and disheartening as a health care provider who has devoted my career to the health of children and there are colleagues of mine who have literally put their lives on the line protecting people from this disease and, yet, there’s so much mistrust of the medical profession and our motives and where we get our information. There’s so much questioning of all of those things. The internet is great for obtaining information, but it’s also wonderful for spreading misinformation. And I think that’s been a plague on our society. It’s a very American quality to want to have your independence, freedom of choice, but the problem is this doesn’t only impact you. It’s a public health issue. It’s impacting millions of people. People are dying and yet people are looking at it through a selfish lens. It’s just mind boggling to me.
The Illinoize: I saw a stat that only 23% of pregnant women have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Is it safe for the child?
Dr. Levy: First of all, it’s good for the mom. COVID can make expectant moms, pregnant women, very ill. Secondly, it can only benefit the baby. Antibodies are passed on to the baby through the placenta and, in general, those antibodies last six months after the babies are delivered. I’m recommending it to all pregnant parents of kids that I see.
The Illinoize: How do we get through this?
Dr. Levy: We have to keep at it. We can’t let go now. People are mad. They feel like just because they got the vaccine they don’t feel like they need to take any precautions, and that’ s just not true. Now is not the time to loosen restrictions, unfortunately, with this latest wave. We have to tighten our belts again and go back to the masks and hand washing and social distancing. We didn’t flatten the curve the first time which is why, I think, we’re still having this issue now. If we want to get rid of this and not have variants that are resistant to the vaccine, which could happen, we really all have to make a collective effort to follow the expert guidance.