COVID in kids: Hospitalizations continue to climb as Ohio hits another all-time high

With new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations among kids continuing to rise across the state, officials from each of Ohio's six major children's hospitals called on Ohioans Tuesday to take action to slow the spread of the virus.

As of Tuesday morning, at least 26 kids were hospitalized with COVID, including nine in the intensive care unit and five on ventilators at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, CEO Tim Robinson said during a press briefing.

COVID-19 in kids:COVID cases in Ohio kids surpass previous record with nearly 10,000 in a single week

Tuesday's hospitalizations at Nationwide Children's were up at least a half-dozen from 20 the week before.

The pediatric positivity rate for COVID was at 10% as of Tuesday, Robinson said. A majority of cases, hospital leaders said, have been in unvaccinated children or kids who aren't yet eligible to be vaccinated.

Hospitals around the state are trying to sound the alarm before cases overwhelm system

Robinson said Nationwide Children's, along with other children's hospitals around the state, is trying to sound the alarm so people change their behavior, mask up and get vaccinated before cases overwhelm the health care system.

"We want to get this message out. We want to change behaviors while we have the opportunity," Robinson said.

Nearly 10,000 children throughout the state tested positive for COVID-19 last week, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The 9,997 COVID-19 cases diagnosed in children the week of Aug. 29 is the highest number of pediatric infections ever reported in Ohio. The previous record, set the week before, was 7,594 infections reported in a single week, state data shows.

COVID-19 symptoms:RSV and COVID: What are the differences between the two viruses?

Since the pandemic began in March 2020, more than 140,891 cases have been reported in children. A total of eight Ohio children have died of the virus and at least 1,413 have been hospitalized, according to the state.

A total of 16,855 children in Franklin County have been diagnosed with COVID-19 so far, state data shows.

On top of COVID-19, Robinson said a high number of children are catching respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV cases at Nationwide Children's are currently higher than they've been in the past three winters, which is when infections usually reach their highest, Robinson said.

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby