We studied the hospital admission rate for COVID-19 for children under the age of 5 to see how COVID-19 is affecting those who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. The data, stratified by age, show that infants under two months of age who test positive for COVID-19 are more likely to require hospitalization than older children as infants have less developed immune systems. The highest risk to date for this age group was during the period when the Delta variant was predominant, with almost 7% of COVID-positive infants requiring hospitalization during that wave.
It is common practice to admit infants under two months of age to the hospital whenever they have a fever1. Whether the admission is due to standard practice or to severity of the infection, any hospitalization of an infant under 2 months has a significant effect on healthcare utilization, the child, and their family. Therefore, those caring for infants should take precautions to avoid exposure that could result in an infection and subsequent hospitalization.
