Niagara Region top doc nervously watching American children catching Delta variant

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Published August 5, 2021 at 5:07 pm

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After viewing recent COVID-19 daily numbers in the southern states of Florida and Texas, Niagara Region Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mustafa Hirji has a whole new set of concerns.

As of yesterday, Florida and Texas, two states with remarkably lax COVID-19 restrictions posted some alarming results.

According to the CDC, Florida saw 2,065 new cases in one day but also an additional 47 children (12 to 17 year olds) catching it.

In Texas, the numbers were only marginally better with 1,318 adult cases and an additional 40 children being admitted to hospital.

That’s setting off warning bells in Hirji’s head that the Delta variant cares little about age brackets.

“Oh dear! Children are being hospitalized with the Delta variant in Florida (and Texas),” he posted on his social media.

To that end, Hirji wants as many children and teens aged 12 to 17 in Niagara Region as possible to be fully immunized before school is slated to return September 7 “so we don’t see that here.”

With the hashtag #VaxToSchool, Hirji is encouraging parents to make sure their children will be double-vaxxed before or not long into the school year.

At the moment, only 57 percent of Niagara children have had one jab with just 42 per cent fully immunized.

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