(Dan Tri) – The number of children infected and hospitalized due to the Omicron variant in the world is increasing, causing some countries to begin implementing Covid-19 vaccination for young children.

China has expanded Covid-19 vaccination for children as young as 3 years old (Photo: Xinhua).

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper said that the number of children infected with the Omicron variant in the world has been increasing rapidly in the past month or so, including in China.

In New York City, Dr. Mary Bassett, state health commissioner, said: `The number of pediatric cases infected with Covid-19 has increased nearly 5 times since December 11, 2021. Within the second week of December

The number of infected cases increased, but symptoms were mostly mild

Professor Emily Chan Ying-yang Chan, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Hong Kong (China), said that there is no scientific evidence to show that Omicron affects children more than other strains.

Professor Terence Stephenson at the Institute of Paediatrics, University of London (UK), commented: `I think that the reason why the number of children infected with Omicron in many countries is increasing rapidly is because the immunity rate in young children is lower than in children.

`SARS-CoV-2 is impacting larger communities and certainly impacting children in ways we never knew existed. And now it seems that SARS-CoV-2 has found its niche.`

Although the incidence of Omicron infection in children is increasing, most infections have mild symptoms.

This also raises the question of whether children should be vaccinated against Covid-19 or not.

Recently, Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s leading epidemiologist, said that Covid-19 vaccination can reduce the risk for children with underlying diseases.