Dr. Anthony Fauci has warned in a statement that Americans can expect to see more children infected with the coronavirus as the highly contagious delta variant extends its hold across the country.
The government’s top infectious disease expert at coronavirus briefing held on Thursday said, quantitatively, America will see more children in the hospital. At least 117 countries around the world are facing the delta variant, which is more than twice as infectious than the previous strain of Covid-19, Fauci further mentioned.
However, it’s still not clear whether the delta variant leads to more severe illness in children, Fauci said.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the best way to protect young children not yet eligible for vaccines is for their parents to get shots. The CDC is also studying so-called long COVID in children.
Early data suggests those lingering symptoms are not nearly as prevalent among children as adults, but Walensky said more study is needed.