Infants more likely to be hospitalized from Omicron: Watch for these symptoms

Among younger age groups, Omicron cases in infants aged under one year are almost seven times more likely to lead to hospitalizations, according to Dr. Tam.

Pediatric hospitals across Canada are coping with record high number of children being admitted in the wake of the Omicron wave sweeping the country.

According to experts, kids under five are more likely to be hospitalized compared to other age groups since they are not eligible for vaccines yet, and may experience symptoms that are different from those found in adults.

Omicron cases in infants under one year of age are almost seven times more likely to lead to hospitalizations, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday,

According to Jesse Papenburg, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist in Québec, high levels of community spread are happening now and a lot of the children coming to hospitals for screening have contracted COVID-19 incidentally.

Hospitalizations may have increased among children compared to previous waves, but right now they are low overall, comprising less than one per cent of total reported cases in children under five years of age.

No matter what respiratory virus infants get, they are likely to be more severely affected than adults, Tam said.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can vary from person to person, within different age groups, and depending on the variant, but Papenburg says, like adults, children under the age of five can go from completely asymptomatic to having mild symptoms.

Some of the more commonly reported symptoms include new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, feeling feverish, and chills.