Coronavirus threat: US alarm at the rising number of child Covid infections, school closures back on agenda

 

Covid-19 infection is increasing in the United States. Some schools are closed again in the country. US regional health authorities reacted with alarm to a jump in child Covid infections that caused some school districts to announce returns to remote learning. However, a leading public health official questioned the need for schools to close amid Covid-19. He said, “We know how to keep schools open, we know how to keep them safe.”

Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told Fox News on Sunday that school should not be closed. He said that the school is the right thing for students, for their mental health, and for their education.

Omicron in New York City

Over the past few weeks, Omicron cases have suddenly increased. It soared in New York City and elsewhere. The state health department of New York City said that the number of children hospitalised in New York with Covid-19 increased rapidly in recent days.

The California state epidemiologist Dr Erica Pan wrote on Twitter, “Unfortunately New York is seeing an increase in pediatric hospitalisations.” Erica Pan further said that most of the children were unvaccinated.

Reportedly, in New York, about 16% of 5 to 11-year-olds and 71% of 12- to 17-year-olds are fully vaccinated. Pan further requested parents to help their children. Pan wrote on Twitter, “Please give your children the gift of vaccine protection.”

The rising cases of Covid-19 among children convinced officials in some states to order a return to remote learning after the winter break. According to The Guardian, around 300 schools in Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York will remain closed to protect children from getting infected with the coronavirus.

In Mount Vernon, New York, online classes are scheduled till 18 January. District superintendent Kenneth Hamilton said that she was very reluctant to close schools but she took the decision to protect students from Covid-19 infections. In New Jersey, Paterson public schools will start 2022 with two weeks of remote classes.