What Does the Delta Variant Look Like in Kids?

• Nearly 94,000 child COVID-19 cases were reported in a single week, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• The Delta variant is more than twice as contagious as previous variants, and there’s data that suggests it might cause more severe illness.
• Yale Medicine reported that cough and loss of smell are less common with the Delta variant, while headache, sore throat, runny nose, and fever are among the top symptoms.

Unlike the earlier versions of the coronavirus, which, for the most part, left children alone, the new Delta variant is taking a considerable toll on kids — especially as children under 12 have not been vaccinated yet.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, for the week ending Aug. 5, nearly 94,000 child COVID-19 cases were reported.

“The Delta variant is more contagious. That’s why you’re seeing it more in children,” said Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician in the division of infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Delta variant is more than twice as contagious as previous variants, and there’s data that suggests it might cause more severe illness in unvaccinated people.

Since the majority of children are unvaccinated, this puts them in a higher risk category of contracting the virus.

What does the Delta variant look like in kids, and how can we keep our families safe? We tapped experts to find out.