Unvaccinated put children at risk of COVID

The youngest COVID patient Poplar Bluff pediatrician Dr. Claudia Preuschoff has diagnosed was nine weeks old.

“It was a day care exposure and it just broke my heart,” she said. “I have other patients who are now former student athletes because they’re now unable to walk up the stairs or from the living room to the kitchen without getting short of breath. Some adults and children get COVID and they do just fine but some don’t fully recover. You never know how COVID will affect you and your children, so it’s best to get vaccinated and not take that chance.”

Preuschoff is joining other Missouri pediatricians who are teaming up with Missouri Foundation for Health to launch a campaign aiming to protect kids from COVID-19 by increasing adult vaccinations throughout the state. The physicians are sounding the alarm as pediatric COVID cases continue to surge throughout Missouri and much of the country.

According to the CDC, unvaccinated adults and teens put children who are ineligible to receive the vaccine (those 12 and under) at a greater risk of contracting the virus.

A recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, shows child cases in the United States have “steadily increased” since the beginning of July. A total of 121,427 pediatric cases were reported the week of Aug. 12. In Missouri, children make up 11.5% of the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

The participating Missouri physicians represent various hospital systems and different regions of the state, but all agree the spike in pediatric COVID-19 cases is alarming and must be taken seriously as the more-contagious Delta variant continues to spread.

“There’s a general notion that kids don’t get sick, but it’s not true. We’ve seen an uptick in the number of pediatric COVID patients with serious illness. We have had limited to no COVID beds in our pediatric ICU which is very concerning. I don’t want to have to send our kids somewhere far away for their care,” said Kayce Morton, a pediatrician at CoxHealth in Springfield.

From Kansas City to St. Louis, to rural parts of the state, growing cases of kids with COVID-19 and other viruses are putting a strain on hospitals statewide, health officials have said.

While the rise in child cases has made some parents who have not made the choice to get vaccines now more open, others are still holding out. The Foundation hopes local pediatricians can encourage parents on the fence to consider the risk to children and what is needed to keep them out of the ICU.

“We understand that Missourians want to make their own choices, and we hope that in making those choices, they learn the facts and consider those who oftentimes can’t make the choice for themselves — our children,” said Dr. Dwayne Proctor, MFH president and CEO. “We could be entering the most dangerous point of the pandemic for our children, and as the school year begins, we have to have a conversation about how to best protect them from serious illness. We know parents trust pediatricians to give them accurate information. This phase of the campaign, #KidDocsFightCovid, will encourage adults to contact trusted physicians and get their COVID questions answered.”

Preuschoff and other pediatricians said, “we love seeing your kids - just not in the ICU. I’m calling on other Missouri doctors to join me & @MoFoundHealth in the #KidDocsFightCovid campaign. Share your advice on #COVID vaccines and how Missouri adults can work together to protect our kids.”

The Delta variant is serious and Preuschoff said, “just as school starts, we’re seeing too many kids in our ICUs. The best thing adults can do to protect young kids from COVID? Get vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people are less likely to get infected and less likely to spread the virus. “

Dr. Preuschoff is affiliated with Poplar Bluff Pediatric Associates and Saint Francis Medical Center.

Visit mostopscovid.com to find free COVID vaccines within five miles of your home. #KidDocsFightCovid