Coronavirus: more than 1,900 children in Hong Kong admitted to hospital in Omicron-fuelled fifth wave of cases
- Of the 1,939 children who received hospital treatment in current wave, 49 were in intensive care units, including 30 aged two or under
- Those aged two years and younger accounted for the highest proportion in intensive care
More than 1,900 children with Covid-19 have been admitted to hospital in Hong Kong since the fifth wave of infections emerged, exceeding the total in the previous four outbreaks combined, with those aged two years and younger accounting for the highest proportion in intensive care.
Of the 1,939 children who received hospital treatment as of the end of February, 49 were in intensive care units, 30 of whom were aged two or under.
Dr Mike Kwan Yat-wah, a consultant at Princess Margaret Hospital’s paediatric infectious diseases unit, noted that because children aged two or younger were not eligible for vaccination, they had no immunity to the virus.
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“When they encounter this highly transmissible Omicron virus, the number of infections is very high, resulting in a very high incidence of hospitalisation, severe cases and admissions to intensive care units,” he told a press briefing on Wednesday.
“There are research papers showing that for Omicron, there are more symptoms related to the central nervous system such as fever, convulsions, encephalitis. Many experts are still finding out the reasons.”
He added that more children were being admitted to hospital this time as they had been well-protected from the virus over the past two years and therefore could not develop cross-immunity to it.
The latest data from the Hospital Authority was divided into four age groups based on vaccine eligibility: those two years or under; aged three to four; five to 11; and 12 to 17.