Throughout the pandemic, health experts have largely described children as being less susceptible to COVID-19. But as the nation is experiencing yet another wave of rising coronavirus infections, fueled by the more highly contagious delta variant, there have been several reports in recent days about record numbers of kids at some hospitals, largely in the South. 

In Mississippi, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs announced this week that a fourth child there died of COVID and that 10 others kids are hospitalized, three in intensive care.

In Louisiana, Children’s Hospital New Orleans reported that one child recently died and there are 17 kids now seeking treatment for COVID-19, the most it has seen during the pandemic. Our Lady of Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge reports having 11 children in their care with the virus, six of them in the ICU.

"They're often requiring oxygen and extra pressure to be able to breath effectively," Dr. Trey Dunbar, president of Our Lady of the Lake Children's Health, told WBRZ-TV. "Some of them need breathing tubes ... [and for] some of them ... putting breathing tubes in isn't enough."

In the past week in Alabama, the number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 has jumped from nine to 32, a new pandemic high, Dr. Don Williamson told Alabama Public Radio. One child is on a ventilator.

And in Arkansas, Children’s Hospitals in Little Rock and Springdale reported this week that they have 24 pediatric coronavirus patients, 50% higher than at any other point of the pandemic. None had been vaccinated despite that more than half were eligible. 

"We're seeing a real surge with the delta variant that we did not see previously," Dr. Rick Barr, chief clinical officer at Arkansas Children's Hospital, told CNN. "This is the worst that we've seen it for kids, absolutely."

Barr said parents are “shocked” to see how ill their kids have gotten “because the messaging out there has been that kids don’t really get sick with COVID.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the number of new COVID-19 cases in children has jumped more than four-fold in the past month. About one in six new cases are among kids.

While COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 500 kids in the U.S. during the pandemic, children are still believed to be less likely to develop serious illness from it. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stressed “that severe disease occurs in all age groups,” even kids.

The hospitalization rate for children is about 0.9%, and the death rate is around 0.01%, according to AAP data.

Dr. Brian Cruz, regional medical director at PhysicianOne Urgent Care, which has clinics in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, said he’s seeing more COVID-19 infections among children, but he isn’t so sure the rate of severe cases is rising with the delta variant. But because the strain is more contagious, it means more kids will become infected, and subsequently more might be end up in hospitals, he said.

“I think it's more about just the number of kids that are becoming positive for COVID, which then can spread, and likely we're seeing that because they're not vaccinated,” Cruz told Spectrum News. “And a bigger concern is that once these kids get it, can they spread it to people who are still unvaccinated or haven't gotten fully vaccinated at this point in time?”

In all age groups, new COVID-19 cases nationwide have increased six-fold over the past five weeks, to more than 66,000 a day. Health officials blame the spike not only on the delta variant, which accounts for more than 83% of new cases, but also on lagging vaccination rates, especially in Southern states. 

Vaccines are currently approved for children 12 and older. Clinical trials are being conducted for younger kids.

Thirty-nine percent of 16- and 17-year-olds and 27% of 12- to 15-year-olds are fully vaccinated. 

This week, the CDC issued guidance saying that all K-12 students and teachers should continue to wear face coverings in schools regardless of their vaccination status, although the governors of Texas and Florida have vowed not to impose school mask mandates. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends masks in schools.

Cruz said the best way for parents to protect their children from COVID-19 is to get them vaccinated, if eligible.

“I think it's that safety net for you, that even if you do develop or get COVID, though your risk in a breakthrough case is very, very small, even those people are only ending up with little sniffles or a mild cold if they do get a breakthrough case,” he said.

Children who cannot get vaccinated should continue to wear masks indoors and have their interactions with others limited, Cruz said. 

Parents should “really consider the risk associated with certain events or camps or large gatherings with their kids,” Cruz said. “And if they're going to do something like that, try to social distance, try to make sure that, especially inside, that they have their kids wear masks and use extra protection so they mitigate the risk that they're developing COVID.”