Young children are the most affected by the fourth wave of the pandemic in Quebec

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The number of COVID-19 cases among young children continues to rise in Quebec as the virus spreads through primary schools and daycare centers.

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Over the past two weeks, children under the age of 10 have accounted for more than 20 percent of all new cases in the province, the highest proportion of any age group.

Meanwhile, 856 schools in Quebec reported at least one active case as of Thursday, and at least three were forced to close after larger outbreaks.

The only silver lining, according to doctors at Montreal’s two main children’s hospitals, is that the increase in cases among children has yet to translate into more hospitalizations. The vast majority of children, they said, do not yet experience severe symptoms.

For Dr. Olivier Drouin, a pediatrician at Ste-Justine Hospital, given that young children still cannot be vaccinated, it is “unfortunate but not very surprising” that they have been so affected by the fourth wave.

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“I think the two things we’re not sure about are how high it’s going to go and how long it’s going to last,” Drouin added of the number of cases. “And, obviously, the greater the number of infected children, the greater the number of them that will have to be hospitalized.”

As Quebec has weathered the different waves of the pandemic, young children have increasingly accounted for a larger proportion of the province’s cases.

During the first wave, when schools were closed, a total of 1,725 ​​children under the age of 10 were infected, representing just three percent of all cases.

In the second and third waves, when schools relied more on distance learning and often closed to control outbreaks, there were many more cases in the age group (more than 21,000 in the second wave alone), but in terms of proportions, they represented nine and nine years. 12 percent of all cases.

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During the fourth wave, since mid-July, there have already been almost 4,800 infections in the age group, accounting for 16 percent of all cases.

The difference between waves is explained, at least in part, by the opening of vaccination to older age groups, the arrival of the more transmissible Delta variant and the way in which Quebec has managed COVID-19 cases in schools.

During the fourth wave, Quebec has focused on limiting school closings as much as possible. Before the school year, the province also decided to end classroom bubbles and relax measures on the use of masks in certain regions.

As of Thursday, more than 1,100 schools had reported a positive case since reopening in August. Currently, there are 1,809 infected students across the province and 169 infected staff members.

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Earlier this week, two Montreal elementary schools closed due to what public health officials described as a “rapid increase in the number of positive cases.” Overall, citywide, schools and daycare now account for 38 percent of all active outbreaks.

For some parents, the increasing number of cases and the different approach this school year has created another layer of stress.

“In a sense, we can’t even manage our own tolerance for risk anymore,” the mother of a second-grader said this week. “Kids mingle during daycare after school, at recess, on the bus. I have no way of knowing if my daughter has been in contact with a case. “

The mother asked that her name not be published because of the “polarizing” debate surrounding the issue, including on a Facebook page for parents whose children attend their daughter’s elementary school in Montreal.

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In letters to parents this week, the school confirmed that at least 19 positive cases were detected among students. The mother said she thought about keeping her daughter at home because of the cases, but said she has already been left behind since the pandemic changed education.

“We feel like we are in the dark,” said the mother, “and there doesn’t seem to be a good solution.”

Dr. Christos Karatzios, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist at Montreal Children’s Hospital, said he understands parents’ concerns, adding that just because most children do not have severe symptoms does not mean that COVID-19 should be taken lightly.

“We should be as concerned about our children getting COVID now as we were in previous waves,” Karatzios said.

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In addition to the symptoms of the virus, Karatzios noted that the latest estimates show that about one in 3,000 infected children will develop a post-COVID syndrome known as multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

And although they are few, some children, especially those with underlying health problems, end up in the hospital after becoming infected. Since the beginning of the pandemic in Quebec, more than 400 children and adolescents have been hospitalized with COVID-19.

For these and other reasons, Karatzios said he strongly supports the opening of vaccination to younger children once it is approved. Until then, he urged those who can get their two doses, if not just for themselves, he said, to protect those who can’t yet.

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“We need to wrap our children,” he said. “Teachers, parents, educators, everyone around children can create a form of quasi-herd immunity around them that will help prevent the transmission of the virus from an unvaccinated adult to a child.”

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