The number of children hospitalised with COVID-19 is increasing as Jamaica continues to battle the effects of the fourth wave of the virus.
In making the disclosure at Thursday’s COVID Conversations press conference, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, said the rising number of children being hospitalised locally will have to be monitored.
Of the total number of confirmed cases to date, 5,533 infected persons are within the zero to nine year age group, while 7,554 are within the 10 to 19 age group, she disclosed.
“So, we are seeing an increase in the number of children in hospital now, and you can see on this graph where the number of children in hospital(s) is getting to be higher than we’ve ever had before, if it continues to increase, so this is something we have to watch carefully,” declared Bisasor-McKenzie.
To that end, the chief medical officer is imploring parents to inoculated against COVID-19 to aid in limiting the number of children being hospitalised.
She is also encouraging parents to allow children between the ages of 12 to 18 to get vaccinated.
As of Wednesday last week, 22.5 per cent of the age category of 12 to 19 were are fully vaccinated, while 6.9 per cent had received one vaccine dose.
