Unlike previous versions of the coronavirus that for the most part did not affect children, the new Delta variant is more contagious in children.
"The Delta variant is more contagious. That's why it's affecting more children," Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and a physician for infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told Healthline.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Delta variant is more than twice as contagious as previous variants and has data suggesting it could cause more serious illness in unvaccinated people. Since most children are unvaccinated, this puts them at a higher risk category.
What are the main symptoms of the Delta variant in children?
At the moment, it is still too early to say if there are significant differences in the symptoms of the Delta variant versus the previous variants. Yale Medicine reports that coughing and loss of smell are less common with the Delta variant, while headache, sore throat, runny nose and fever are among the main symptoms.
"The most common symptoms in children and adolescents appear to be fever and cough, with nasal symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms and rash occurring much less frequently," pediatrician Dr told Healthline. Michael Grosso.
Prior to the Delta variant, most children with Covid-19 had no symptoms. The Delta variant can cause more symptoms in more children than before.
"Either way [the variant], parents need to be aware of other conditions caused by Covid-19 in young people," Grosso said.
A serious disease to look out for is MIS-C inflammatory syndrome. "[MIS-C], which is an unusual, serious complication of Covid-19, starts a few weeks after the initial infection," Grosso added.
Symptoms of MIS-C include: abdominal pain, bloodshot eyes, tightness or chest pain, diarrhea, exhaustion, neck pain, headache, vomiting, etc.
