More children in NY being hospitalised amid Omicron surge

WASHINGTON • With Omicron cases on the rise, New York health officials have reported an increase in hospitalised children, as the White House promised to quickly resolve the United States' Covid-19 test shortage.

The New York State Department of Health warned "of an upward trend in paediatric hospitalisations associated with Covid-19", in a statement last Friday.

In New York City, it "identified fourfold increases in Covid-19 hospital admissions for children aged 18 and under beginning the week of Dec 5 through the current week", it said.

Approximately half of the admissions are younger than five, an age group that is vaccine ineligible, the department added.

And with the new Omicron variant spreading rapidly in almost every region, health experts are calling on New York to do more to ensure that the most vulnerable - particularly nursing home residents - get boosters quickly.

The number of Covid-19 cases in the US is on the rise, with an average of nearly 190,000 new infections daily over the past seven days, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

The arrival of the new Omicron variant, compounded by holiday celebrations that typically include travel and family reunions, have caused a rush on tests in the US, where it is difficult to get one in many locations.

Top US pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci on Sunday acknowledged a Covid-19 "testing problem", and vowed to make more tests available to Americans next month.

"One of the problems is that is not going to be totally available to everyone until we get to January, and there are still some issues now of people having trouble getting tested," Dr Fauci told ABC News.

"But we are addressing the testing problem," he added, saying it should be corrected "very soon".

Last Tuesday, US President Joe Biden announced a raft of new measures as the country battles its latest Covid-19 surge, including shipping half a billion free home tests in the wake of the Christmastime testing crunch.

However, the White House - whose strategy has for weeks been focused mainly on vaccinations - has faced strong criticism over the fact that many tests will not be available until next month.

Dr Fauci on Sunday emphasised that the administration was ramping up to tackle the spike, and stressed that Omicron was "extraordinarily contagious".

Apart from overwhelming hospitals and Covid-19 testing sites, the variant has forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in the country, as airline crew called in sick or had to quarantine after exposure to the virus.

Recent studies in South Africa and Britain indicate that Omicron was less likely to lead to hospitalisation than previous strains of the coronavirus, and that the duration of hospital stays and oxygen needs for patients were lower, Dr Fauci noted.

But he also warned that Omicron's apparent lower severity is likely to be neutralised by how fast it is spreading. "The issue that we don't want to get complacent about... is that when you have such a high volume of new infections, it might override a real diminution in severity," Dr Fauci said.

New York reported 49,708 new cases on Friday and 36,454 on Christmas Day, more than any other state in the country, as Omicron spread quickly across the country, with infections also spiking in Washington, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and Florida.

Dr Tom Frieden, a former city health commissioner and former director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said: "The city and state should be working together to try to make sure everyone in nursing homes is boosted." He called nursing homes "ground zero for Covid-19".

Boosters for nursing home residents are considered vital during the Omicron surge because these residents have had a significantly higher risk of dying of Covid-19 for much of the pandemic.

Many residents were vaccinated in the early days of the vaccine campaign, and their immunity has waned, say public health experts.

Initial data and laboratory studies suggest that although vaccines still provide significant protection against severe illness, they are much less effective at stopping the new variant from infecting people who do not have a booster.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES