Thanks to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, new cases in the San Joaquin Valley were being reported earlier this month faster than at any other time during the pandemic. And even though the variant is less severe than previous ones, the sheer number of cases means hospitals are still being overwhelmed – including children’s hospitals.
Just last week at Valley Children’s hospital in Madera, nearly 450 patients tested positive for the virus, representing a positivity rate of nearly 30 percent. Very few required hospitalization for their symptoms, and those patients who did were largely unvaccinated, according to Dr. Nael Mhaissen, Medical Director of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Valley Children’s. Meanwhile, more than 120 employees remain at home in COVID quarantine or isolation.
In this interview, KVPR’s Kerry Klein spoke with Mhaissen about the COVID outlook among local children, how trends at his hospital reflect what’s happening throughout the region, and what the best strategy is for using those free rapid antigen tests with coughing kids.
