The morbidity of COVID19 is very high and it is estimated that one in three children who are treated in pediatric wards, is infected with COVID19, said on the SIGMA show "Front Page", the Director of the Pediatric Clinic of Makareio Hospital, Abraham Elias.
Ten children with COVID19 are currently being treated in Makareio, which reflects the increased activity of the virus in the community, he said, noting that there are no cases of influenza.
"If the flu also occurs, then things will be even more difficult."
The vast majority of children are infants or toddlers under the age of two, he added.
"We are in the pick of the fifth wave of the pandemic and we are expected to have an increased flow of incidents in the coming days," he said.
The children, he stressed, need hospitalization when they have a high fever with chills, which persists for more than three days, if he refuses to eat, if he has chest pain and difficulty breathing.
Asked to comment on whether the Omicron mutation has been detected in children who have been hospitalized, Dr. Elias replied that 6 children out of the 26 samples that were sent for analysis, were positive in Omicron, while four of them were infants with high fever.