COLUMBUS, Ohio — As reports of children testing positive for COVID-19 rise nationwide, one pediatrician says Ohio hospitals are seeing the lasting impacts of the virus on children in a different way.
Dr. Michael Forbes is a pediatric intensive care specialist at Akron Children's Hospital. While Forbes says the hospital didn't see many cases of pediatric COVID, they did see previously healthy children develop MIS-C, an inflammatory syndrome seen in children connected to COVID-19.
Forbes said the hospital has treated at least 44 children with confirmed cases of MIS-C. According to Forbes, many children who developed MIS-C came from families who had previously tested positive for the virus.
This came during a briefing with the Ohio Department of Health on Wednesday.
During the briefing, Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff addressed an announcement from U.S. health officials to recommend all eligible Americans receive a COVID-19 booster shot 8 months after their final dose of the vaccine.
"Today, U.S. Health and Human Services reaffirmed that the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States continue to be remarkably effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death, even against the widely circulating delta variant," said Vanderhoff.
Health officials reported an additional 3,235 cases on Tuesday. According to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, cases have increased over 500% just since the Fourth of July week.
Vanderhoff said the goal is to keep students learning in the classroom five days a week.
"Adopting layered prevention measures in schools now will help ensure that our students can learn in person as much as possible this year, and keep our students participating in extracurricular activities," said Vanderhoff.
Forbes drove home that point, saying the best way for families to protect their children as they head back to school is to "prevent what's preventable."
"If you're 12 and above, you should be vaccinated," said Forbes.
You can watch the briefing below: