CDC Clarifies the 'Record Number' of Children Hospitalized with COVID-19 Amid Rise in Cases

A record number of 672 children in the US were hospitalized with COVID-19 this week, according to CDC data.

The previous record of daily hospital admissions for the 0-17 age group was 340 children back in September 2021. However, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that the agency has "not yet seen a signal that there is any increased severity in this age demographic." Seniors over the age of 70 remain the age group being hospitalized at the highest rate: 13.8 per 100,000 people. During a debate over the Biden administration's vaccine mandates last week, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor falsely claimed that there are currently "over 100,000 children" with COVID-19 that are "in serious condition and many on ventilators" — which subsequently sparked a slew of controversy around pediatric hospitalization rates. In an effort to better communicate with the public, Walensky clarified on Fox News Sunday that there are fewer than 3,500 children in hospitals with COVID-19 and that "up to 40% of the patients" (including adults) that are testing positive are "coming in with something else" and subsequently catching COVID-19.

While most outlets across the spectrum seemed to agree that children infected with the virus are at much less risk of becoming severely ill than adults, coverage differed when it came down to assessing the legitimacy and relevance of these numbers. Left-rated outlets were more likely to accentuate that "only 16 percent of children 5 through 11 are fully vaccinated" and highlighted voices who believe COVID-19 remains "a serious disease for children, and protecting them while Omicron surges across the country is paramount." On the other hand, right-rated outlets were more likely to downplay the data released by the CDC. Most highlighted how the data includes asymptomatic children as well as children who were admitted to the hospital for a reason other than COVID-19, and criticized Walensky for seeming "terrified" of suggesting that the Omicron variant won't be "as deadly as previous waves."