HOUSTON — More than 4,000 people are testing positive for COVID-19 every day in the Houston area. Thirty percent of them are kids.
Most cases are mild, but right now, more than 50 children are battling COVID-19 at Texas Children’s Hospital.
“Pediatric hospitalizations are at an all-time high across the southern United States,” Dr. Peter Hotez, Baylor College of Medicine, said.
Infectious diseases expert Dr. Hotez said we have yet to see the results of Texas schools returning to 100 percent in-person learning.
Just this week, the City of Houston reported the first child with no underlying conditions has died of COVID-19.
The child was between 10 and 19 years old and not vaccinated.
“I’m a little less worried about HISD because we have mask orders in place from the county judge,” Dr. Hotez said. “But you get to some of these outlying counties – especially in East Texas and Central Texas. Nobody is masked. Nobody is vaccinated. I’m quite worried about that situation.
Dr. Hotez feels the only way to ensure your child is safe in school is for everyone to wear masks, and for everyone 12 and up to be vaccinated.
“I don’t want to see what’s been playing out in ICU’s across the South play out in Houston where young people who see their life slipping away realize this all could have been prevented by being vaccinated,” Dr. Hotez said.