(KNSI) – According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the infection rate has almost doubled among young children in the state.
MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm says kids are at higher risk of getting sick because there unprotected.
“We’ve heard the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others in recent weeks describe the current Delta spike across the country as a pandemic of the unvaccinated. And unfortunately, the category of unvaccinated includes children under the age of 12 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine.”
She says there was a perception early in the pandemic that the virus was of little concern for children and young adults, with a few sad exceptions. But she says recently published data from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows more than 18% of all cases in Minnesota fall in the pediatric age range of zero to 19. The national average is 14%. Malcolm says MDH data show in 2020, children between zero and nine-years-old made up about five percent of cases.
“Over the past two months, the overall share of cases among kids nine and younger has almost doubled. Kids under nine went from 5% of cases up to 9.6%.”
She says older kids, age ten to 19, made up 12% of cases in 2020 and make up about 13% today. MDH data shows almost 3700 cases among children 19 and younger have been detected in the last two months, with about 2000 of those cases in the last two weeks. Out of those children, 83 went to the hospital, and 25 of those cases were in the last two weeks.
“All this is just to say again, that COVID-19 most certainly is a risk for people of all ages, severe cases, those leading to hospitalization and death are still far more likely among older people. That remains true. But no parent wants to have their child suffer needlessly. And so, we all need to work together to limit the transmission of this virus as much as we can.”
MDH recommends that everyone eligible gets vaccinated. Everyone wears a mask where it’s recommended, staying home when sick, getting tested when needed, and supporting schools and local officials when taking preventive actions to protect students and community members.
On Friday, CentraCare Health in St. Cloud recommended all K-12 schools require masks to be worn inside buildings during the 2020-2021 school year. The Sartell-St. Stephen School District will discuss a possible mask mandate at its school board meeting on Monday. St. Cloud Area School District will also discuss a possible mask requirement this week. Last week, District 742 sent out a survey asking parents what they thought about a mask mandate. Catholic Community Schools in St. Cloud announced it wouldn’t require masks or vaccinations for students or staff. The school system could change its mind if conditions change. St. John’s Prep said in a press release that they plan to welcome students in grades 6-12 back for full-time, in-person traditional instruction on August 25. The school says they’re closely monitoring pandemic conditions and are prepared to adapt plans if necessary. According to St. John’s Principal, Dr. Christine Glomski, vaccinated people do not have to wear masks on campus. Non-Vaccinated people should wear masks. Vaccinated students and staff could wear a mask if they choose.
St. Cloud State University has instituted a mask mandate, and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University require vaccination or regular COVID testing. Minnesota agency employees must also get vaccinated or test regularly. Many healthcare providers and private companies have put mask or vaccine mandates in place.
On Thursday, around 200 people protested against vaccination mandates at Hester Park and St. Cloud Hospital. Although the protest occurred near the hospital, which CentreaCare owns, the hospital doesn’t require workers to get vaccinated.
(KNSI) – According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the infection rate has almost doubled among young children in the state.
MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm says kids are at higher risk of getting sick because there unprotected.
“We’ve heard the Centers for Disease Control and others in recent weeks describe the current Delta spike across the country as a pandemic of the unvaccinated. And unfortunately, the category of unvaccinated includes children under the age of 12 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine.”
She says there was a perception early in the pandemic that the virus was of little concern for children and young adults, with a few sad exceptions. But she says recently published data from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows more than 18% of all cases in Minnesota fall in the pediatric age range of zero to 19. The national average is 14%. Malcolm says MDH data show in 2020, children between zero and nine-year-olds made up about five percent of cases.
“Over the past two months, the overall share of cases among kids nine and younger has almost doubled. Kids under nine went from 5% of cases up to 9.6%.”
She says older kids, age ten to 19, made up 12% of cases in 2020 and make up about 13% today. MDH data shows almost 3700 cases among children 19 and younger have been detected in the last two months, with about 2000 of those cases were seen in the previous two weeks. Out of those children, 83 went to the hospital, and 25 of those cases were in the last two weeks.
“All this is just to say again, that COVID-19 most certainly is a risk for people of all ages, severe cases, those leading to hospitalization and death are still far more likely among older people. That remains true. But no parent wants to have their child suffer needlessly. And so, we all need to work together to limit the transmission of this virus as much as we can.”
MDH recommends that everyone eligible gets vaccinated. Everyone wears a mask where it’s recommended, staying home when sick, getting tested when needed, and supporting schools and local officials when taking preventive actions to protect students and community members.
On Friday, CentraCare Health in St. Cloud recommended all K-12 schools require masks to be worn inside buildings during the 2020-2021 school year. The Sartell-St. Stephen School District will discuss a possible mask mandate at its school board meeting on Monday. St. Cloud Area School District will also discuss a possible mask requirement this week. Last week, District 742 sent out a survey asking parents what they thought about a mask mandate. Catholic Community Schools in St. Cloud announced it wouldn’t require masks or vaccinations for students or staff. The school system could change its mind if conditions change. St. John’s Prep School requires vaccinations.
St. Cloud State University has instituted a mask mandate, and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University require vaccination or regular COVID testing. Minnesota agency employees must also get vaccinated or test regularly. Many healthcare providers and private companies have put mask or vaccine mandates in place.
On Thursday, around 200 people protested against vaccination mandates at Hester Park and St. Cloud Hospital. Although the protest occurred near the hospital, which CentreaCare owns, the hospital doesn’t require workers to get vaccinated.
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