Rise in COVID-19 cases among children and teens raises concerns

SALINAS, Calif. (KION)

Numbers in COVID-19 cases among children and teens are rising across the nation and on the Central Coast.

A Monterey County Health Department report shows a current total of 596 positive cases for individuals under 18 years old.

During the pandemic, 7 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 with two being admitted in the last week.

Many are asking what is causing the increase in cases among children and teens and if school reopenings have anything to do with it.

Monterey Emergency Physician, Sameer Bakhda, says the number of cases among children and teens on the Central Coast is still low, but says a number of things could be causing the overall increase.

“It’s a little early probably to associate the rising cases with school reopening just yet, especially since they are only just now starting to reopen," says Bakhda.

A parent in Salinas says she is currently homeschooling her son, but is concerned about the rise in cases.

"“I would be pretty reckless a s a parent to not be concerned about it," she says.

Doctor Bakhda says an increase in testing among children and teens could also be reflecting the rise in numbers along with family gatherings.

He says although children tend to do better than adults with the virus, parents should remain alert for COVID like symptoms.

“A lot of times, kids get such a mild disease that parents and even medical professionals might think to them selves that this might just be a minor cold, there’s also a phenomenon called  multi system inflammatory disease that can affect kids as well," says Bakhda.

Another parent said she was more concerned with the emotional impact she believes the pandemic has on children.

“Sanitizing, cleaning up, there is a lot of secondary effects of this whole thing and the trauma that this will have, this can go on for a very long time," she says.

Doctor Bakhda says once more data is confirmed and less transmissions are happening among the community, he hopes it will be safer for kids to return to school.