Austin Public Health officials have announced that the first pediatric death from COVID-19 in Travis County occurred over the weekend. Elizabeth C. Knapp, MD, Pediatrics, at ARC Far West added insight into this tragic outcome in this interview on Fox 7 News.
"It's pretty rare that a child gets very sick with COVID," said Dr. Knapp. "Unfortunately, our pediatric patients don't have the protection, or are not eligible to have the protection of a vaccine. And so, we are seeing more cases of children with COVID. And more cases of it spreading throughout classrooms, or in families, more than it was a year ago," Dr. Knapp added.
"Because the Delta variant is so much more contagious. It is affecting all people in our community who are at risk for getting coronavirus, including our young children. We've had lots of infants who have been infected, as well as toddlers and school aged children," said Dr. Knapp.
Protecting our children in our community
"So, of course, the only way we can protect our babies and our children in our community, is to make sure that everybody is wearing their mask when they're around people who are not people they live with. Anybody outside of their household- please wear a mask when you're around them. And everybody who is eligible for a vaccine, everybody who can get a vaccine, we urge everybody to go ahead and do that to be vaccinated and protect our children and those who cannot yet get their vaccines," said Dr. Knapp.
Make an appointment today
Currently, vaccines are only available to children 12 and older. If you have an eligible child, schedule a vaccine at ARC at ARCCovidVaccine.com. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Knapp, call ARC Far West at 512-346-6611 or make an appointment online.