Pediatricians look to the future of hospitals and kids

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Jacksonville grieves the loss of a 16-year-old who passed away from COVID this week, doctors are worried more deaths may follow.

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“Right now the delta variant is spreading through our community like wildfire, and it’s predominantly affecting those who are unvaccinated. Which sadly means our kids are amongst the most vulnerable, especially those under 12 who have not had a chance to be vaccinated yet,” says pediatrician Dr. Adrian Cantville.

Cantville says vaccines may not stop you from getting the delta variant, but they can stop you from getting extremely ill.

“The cases right now are higher than they have ever been, much higher than they were last summer or in the peak in the winter, and this time we are seeing lots of kids admitted to the hospital.”

This includes Healthy, strong kids, Not just those with existing health conditions.

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“We are saying just (a) rise in cases. It’s been on the upward trend, almost in a straight line shooting up. I’ve taken care of kids as young as two weeks old with COVID, all the way up to teenagers,” She says.

There are steps adults can take to protect vulnerable children.

“For the ones who are still too little to get vaccinated, the best thing we can do for them is to surround them with adults who are vaccinated and create a cocoon of safety around them.”

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