South Africa investigates "sharp increase" in hospitalized children with COVID

South African health officials said Friday they are investigating a recent surge in cases among younger age groups not seen in previous waves of the virus, as the country battles an "unprecedented" surge of COVID-19 cases it believes is fueled by the Omicron variant.

Officials in South Africa are not saying that there's any evidence the variant poses a greater danger to the youngest children, compared to previous variants - all ages in South Africa are seeing a "steep increase" in infections and hospitalizations.

Instead, some may have incidentally tested positive for COVID-19 after being hospitalized for other reasons, or are being admitted by health care providers as a precaution.