During the past months, parents realized that children are also susceptible to infection with the Omicron mutant, and that what scientists believed about the strong immunity of children - which protects them from infection with the symptoms of the fierce Corona virus - is no longer applicable today, coinciding with the massive spread of the Omicron mutant.

Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed 5.3 hospitalization cases for every 100,000 children aged 0 to 4 years in the United States.

During the same period, 1.4 per 100,000 children aged 5 to 17 were hospitalized.

However, adults are still more likely to be hospitalized, with a rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people aged 18 or older.

According to the same data, an average of 378 children were admitted to hospitals daily during the week ending December 28.

This represents an increase of more than 66% over the previous week, a record rate compared to the end of August and early last September, which amounted to 342 daily admissions to hospitals.

So, we are facing a virus that spreads relentlessly, and finds schools a fertile environment for incursion, which is what most parents of children notice now.

What is the extent of the risk to children who adhere to daily attendance at schools?

How do we protect young children from exposure to infection?

Will the prevention measures differ from their counterparts in the past two years?

Doctors recommend school administrations to adhere to social distancing measures and improve ventilation (pixels)

How does Omicron affect children?

As a parent, perhaps the main question on your mind right now is how Omicron might affect your child if they contract it. As we saw over the summer, the delta variant caused a huge rise in injuries among children.

Unfortunately, at this time, there is not enough information about Omicron to predict the degree to which it will affect children.

"Omicron transmission is high in all US states, and more than 10% of tests have been positive in the past seven days," said Dr. Andrea Berry, a pediatric infectious disease physician at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital and associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

"For the majority of countries, the positive test is more than 25%, and this means that the risk of contracting the virus at school has also increased," she added.

However, Berry says, "the actual level of risk depends on several factors including the child's individual behavior and the amount of direct communication with peers and teachers during the school day."

It recommended school administrations adhere to social distancing measures, improve ventilation in school buildings, encourage not to go to school if a child feels sick, and notify if there are COVID cases in classrooms.

Is my vaccinated child protected from Omicron?

With COVID-19 vaccines being given to both children aged 5-11 and teens aged 12-15, many parents have breathed a sigh of relief because our children were finally able to get some protection from the virus.

According to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walinsky, the admission rate of unvaccinated adolescents was about 11 times higher than those who were fully vaccinated during the past weeks.

On the safety of the vaccine, Walinsky said that a review of more than 26 million doses of vaccine given to this age group was conducted, and it showed the "absolute safety" of the vaccination.

"For our young children, who are not yet eligible for vaccination, it is very important that we surround them with people who have been vaccinated to protect them," Walinsky explained.

An average of 378 children were admitted to hospitals each day during the week ending December 28 (Pixabe)

Risk assessment

"Children face many of the same risks as adults," said Dr. S. Wesley Long, a researcher at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas.

He added that the attendance of children in schools may make adherence to the distancing measures difficult, as well as observance of masks and masks is an issue that is not guaranteed for young people.

And if you have to choose distance education or in-person education for your child, you should look at what is going on in your geographic setting.

"It's important to look at local infection numbers and transmission metrics more than national averages and official data for the countries you live in, as local numbers really tell you what's happening in your community," Long said.

He pointed out that "vaccinating children who qualify for this is their best defense, along with wearing masks and distancing as much as possible."