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BY GRISELDA ZETINO || KTAR.com
The vast majority of Arizona children have been infected with COVID-19, according to a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The survey shows about 84% of Arizona kids between 6 months and 17 years old have tested positive for the virus. That’s slightly higher than the national average of nearly 80%.
“Obviously it does sound like it’s a high percentage of patients who’ve had the infection,” said Dr. Wassim Ballan, an infectious disease specialist for Phoenix Children’s. “At the same time, it’s not fully surprising.
Ballan pointed out the omicron variant led to a huge number of kids testing positive earlier this year.
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“Keep in mind also that a lot of children actually have a mild infection from COVID-19, and they might have had the infection without even getting tested to confirm that’s what they had,” he added.
Most kids with COVID-19 who are symptomatic generally show cold or flu-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, and sore throat. Some also require hospitalized.
Ballan said he has seen young COVID-19 patients be admitted to the hospital with upper airway issues. That includes croup, which causes swelling and inflammation of the upper part of a child’s airways and can lead to difficulty breathing and a barking-like cough.
