Los Angeles County has reported that a 15-month-old toddler has died of COVID-19. Their dying occurred as new circumstances amongst kids have spiked throughout the nation.

The county reported 91 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, making it the second-highest each day whole of deaths through the Omicron surge, the Los Angeles Occasions reported. The 15-month-old was amongst them. It is unknown if the kid had underlying circumstances.

Simply final week, an toddler died of COVID-19 in California's southwest Riverside County. The toddler, who was youthful than 1 12 months previous, turned the youngest particular person within the county to die from the virus, well being officers introduced.

COVID circumstances amongst kids have spiked throughout the nation because of the extremely contagious Omicron variant. However it's unclear how the variant is affecting the very younger.

baby dies covid omicron child cases spike
A 15-month-old child in Los Angeles County has died of COVID-19—the youngest particular person within the county to perish of the coronavirus—as baby COVID circumstances spike nationwide. On this photograph illustration, an toddler's hand grasps an grownup's hand.fizkes/Getty

Over the past week, practically 1,151,000 baby circumstances had been reported, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported. The quantity is sort of 5 occasions larger than the very best weekly whole of kid circumstances reported through the COVID-19 surge of winter 2021.

Regardless of this, the Omicron variant is inflicting much less extreme signs in younger kids than the Delta variant, in keeping with a brand new research launched final week.

After reviewing information on practically 80,000 first-time infections in U.S. kids beneath the age of 5, researchers discovered that kids contaminated through the Omicron surge had a 29 p.c decrease threat of emergency room visits, a 67 p.c decrease threat of hospitalization, a 68 p.c decrease threat of needing intensive care and a 71 p.c decrease threat of needing a ventilator, in comparison with kids contaminated through the Delta surge of 2021, Reuters reported.

Nevertheless, the research's researchers stated that although Omicron signs are milder in younger kids, the general variety of kids with extreme signs through the Omicron and Delta surges may very well be equal, contemplating that so many extra kids have gotten contaminated with Omicron.

Regardless that Omicron signs are normally milder in younger children, it is also possible that an growing variety of kids are creating extra severe signs as nicely, since extra children are being contaminated total, Dr. Richard Malley, an infectious illness specialist at Boston Youngsters's Hospital, instructed CNN.

The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) affords information on COVID circumstances by age. However its information teams all kids ages 0 to 17 collectively. As such, it is troublesome to know simply what number of infants and toddlers have contracted, been hospitalized or died from COVID-19.

Infants beneath the age of 1 might be at larger threat of extreme sickness with COVID-19 than older kids, in keeping with the Mayo Clinic. It is because their immune programs aren't absolutely developed and since their smaller respiratory passages make them extra prone to develop respiratory points from respiratory infections.

The CDC solely suggests COVID-19 vaccines for youngsters over the age of 5.