The Mississippi State Department of Health put out a press release this past Wednesday that announced the death of a 10th child from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The press release noted that none of the 10 children who died had been vaccinated. It also noted that the COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for any child 5 or older, with booster shots recommended for those 12 and older.
Let’s stipulate that 10 pediatric deaths during the pandemic is 10 too many. But the press release left out some valuable information, available on the Department of Health’s website, that provides interesting insights into COVID-19’s lesser impact on children.
The website said that about 700,000 Mississippians have been infected in the past 22 months. Of that total, only 26,000 cases have been reported in children aged 4 or younger. That accounts for less than 4% of the state’s total cases. Three of those patients died.
Those numbers, if anything, make it clear that COVID-19 is far less of a threat to very young children than it has been to adults. This is the exact opposite of what you’d expect from a viral pandemic, and epidemiologists may spend years trying to find out why.
Among children aged 5 to 17, the state reported 106,000 infections, which is 15% of Mississippi’s total cases. Seven of these patients have died — too many, yes, but a very small percentage of those who got infected, and a far lower death rate than those reported for adults.
The state epidemiologist said in the press release that only 7% of Mississippi children aged 5 to 11 are vaccinated, as are only 37% of the 12 to 17 age group. He said vaccination is the best protection for children who are able to receive it, and added that it’s critical that those who are around children 4 and under be vaccinated.
It’s easy to understand, though, why so many parents have hesitated to inoculate their children — or have ignored the recommendation altogether.
Even though the various vaccines have played a huge role in lowering COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, there is no ignoring the fact that these vaccines were rushed into production. The haste was necessary, given the contagion’s huge death toll, but it did not provide enough time to fully study the vaccines’ effect on recipients. In the past, vaccines for wide distribution have undergone clinical trials of five years or longer before being approved.
Aside from that, the statistics say that children aren’t being affected by the virus the way adults have been. The recent numbers may be incomplete, as more people have been testing themselves for infection at home instead of in a medical clinic. But there is no evidence that says children are at greater risk than their parents. In fact, the numbers say otherwise: Children are more likely to be carriers than victims of the virus. That may be a key reason why a majority of parents, more concerned about their children’s health than their potential to infect others, have not had their children inoculated.
People 18 and older should get vaccinated. That’s where COVID-19 has caused the vast majority of its damage, especially for those 50 and older — 9,800 of whom in Mississippi have died with the virus. So should those between ages 5 and 17 with underlying health problems, such as obesity.
But for perfectly healthy children, the risk-benefit analysis is a little tougher. Thankfully, they have been largely spared.
