AUSTIN (KXAN) — COVID-19 is rampant, even in the Dugan household. My 3-year-old tested positive, sent home from daycare with a 103 degree temperature. I knew it was bad when he told me he WANTED to take a nap and later upchucked on the couch.

Here’s the thing — he’s not the only toddler choosing a midday snooze while battling a belly ache.

“Almost 37% of children being admitted to the hospital since January with COVID fall into the younger age group of zero to four,” says Dr. Samistha Hauger, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Dell Children’s Medical Center, “Since January, when this omicron surge occurred we’ve exceeded how many admissions we’ve had since this summer with delta variant.”

Dr. Hauger says that number is rising locally. I consider myself lucky, my baby’s illness didn’t require a hospital admission, but that isn’t the reality for many parents.

And as if your little one in the hospital isn’t scary enough, Dr. Hauger says treating children with COVID-19 is tricky.

“The difference in treating children with COVID infection in hospital when they’re sick, a lot of it is similar, which is oxygen — delivering oxygen, maintaining their respiratory status — but the therapeutics are different sometimes as not all drugs are available for children.”

Because this surge is affecting a part of our community that aren’t eligible for vaccines yet, health leaders continue to encourage masking up, washing hands and getting the rest of your family vaccinated if you can.
Remy is already back to himself, fighting COVID-19…and mom telling him he needs to take naps.