Novant children’s hospital ‘at capacity’ as delta variant spreads among children

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) — More than one out of every four COVID cases is in children and teens.

The medical director at Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital in Charlotte says the hospital is at capacity, and he expects it to stay that way for the next several weeks.

In recent weeks in Mecklenburg County, newborns to 9-year-olds make up 12% of cases.

10 to 14-year-olds are almost 8% of cases and 15 to 17-year-olds make up more than 5% of cases

“What we’re really seeing is those younger patients under 12 are spreading the delta variant because it is very contagious and they’re not vaccinated, so because of that, we’re seeing a lot more emergency room visits, we’re seeing a lot more admissions,” said Dr. Eugene Daugherty, the Medical Director of Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital.

Novant is seeing an uptick in vaccinations.

In the greater Charlotte area, the percent positive is around 14%, a number that is slowly dropping, but hospitalizations remain high.

Novant says 96% of patients in ICUs and on ventilators are unvaccinated

Right now, people who are immunocompromised should get booster shots, but there’s a question about the timing of third doses for everyone else.

“There is some scientific debate going on about what the best timing for the third dose should be, so we’ll wait on that information and administer it based on the data and evidence that is provided,” said Dr. David Priest with Novant Health.

Doctors say it is ok to get your COVID shot and a flu shot at the same time.