No variant of the covid-19 virus has got parents more worried than the omicron variant. This is quite understandable seeing the rate at which children have been infected. Other members of the family are vulnerable but the odds seem to be more against kids. So, you have to be very cautious to protect your child or children.
You will certainly learn more about this covid 19 variant if you keep reading this IST Health welfare article. This is especially as it concerns your kids.
Summary
Omicron in Kids
Besides the primary covid 19 virus strain, omicron and delta are some of the other variants of the virus that have crept up. This means that some of the things that were obtainable with the primary Coronavirus strain are either absent or magnified in these new strains.
The Omicron covid-19 variant has proven interesting. One of the interesting sides to it is how most people who contract it are in the age of children.
Omicron usually ends up adversely affecting the upper part of the respiratory system. It is the same experience in children as it mimics the symptoms of an infection known as croup. As a result, home care is usually enough to help infected children and people recover.
The recovery process should be between 4 to 6 days. But seeing how people’s immune systems respond differently, it can take much longer for some. Hospitalization is not likely going to happen but some of the risk factors might necessitate it.
Reports received from observed cases and months of medical studies help us understand that omicron is usually not as severe as some other variants; like Delta. This also means that you should avoid sources that give misleading information. For example, claims that women showing pregnancy who have this variant have an increased chance of having children with birth defects are unfounded.
Reasons for the High Number of Omicron infection among Children
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and several infectious disease experts have done a series of studies to understand how children are more affected by omicron than adults. The results do not point to anything suggesting the immune system of kids is more susceptible to this variant of the virus. However, some of the possible explanations include the following:
Vaccination Issues
At some point in time, only children that were 5 years and older could get vaccinated. But updated reports from the CDC and FDA now explain how kids who are 6 months old and older can get the vaccine.
However, the measure of the vaccines and booster shots administered is determined by the ages of vaccinated people. So, kids will not have so much in each dose of the vaccine when they get vaccinated.
Immaturity
Omicron is reported to be one of the most contagious covid disease variants. Children may not be mature enough to adhere to covid guidelines to protect them from contracting the virus.
Vaccine Efficiency
The covid 19 virus mutates and that is what has led to new variants of the virus. The first sort of vaccines and boosters manufactured by the likes of Moderna and Pfizer (BioNTech) were aimed at addressing the primary strain of the virus.
The mutation reduces the efficiency of such vaccines. But thank goodness for pharmaceutical and medical advancement that has made it possible to make bivalent vaccines. These vaccines can address the primary strain, as well as the new variant that is the latest concern.
Ensuring a Covid-Free Planet
Our chances of putting an abrupt end to this covid disease or reducing it to the barest minimum hinges on collective effort. People who notice symptoms are to isolate immediately and conduct an antigen test. Even if the test reads negative, they need to plan for a thorough test as the count might just be too low for the antigen test to deduce infection.
Obeying safety guidelines by the CDC and health experts is also essential. Parents need to help their kids obey these guidelines as this is part of our collective effort at bringing an end to this infectious disease.
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