Texas doctor sounds alarm on rising COVID cases among children: 'We certainly have used ventilators'

One Texas doctor is raising awareness about the rise in severe cases of COVID-19 among children. According to The Houston Press, Dr. Jim Versalovic of Texas Children's Hospital has a warning for parents. The rapidly spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus could land some children in intensive care.

Speaking to the publication, Versalovic shed light on what he has been seeing in the hospital where he works. Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a misconception about the virus where children are concerned. Although Republican leaders and lawmakers have repeatedly argued that children are less likely to contract COVID, Versalovic argues otherwise.

At the Texas Children's Hospital, some children have not only been admitted for coronavirus but have also ended up in the intensive care unit (ICU), and in dire cases, on ventilators.

Of the children hospitalized in critical care, "some have required ventilator support," Versalovic admitted to the publication. "We have seen severe cases of COVID pneumonia and acute respiratory distress in children. And we certainly have used ventilators when appropriate, selectively."

So with the new school year just a few short weeks away, what does that mean for parents? According to Versalovic, certain precautions should be taken where children are concerned.

"We certainly recommend that as children under 12 — who are all unvaccinated — as they participate in group activities and are preparing to return to school, we would encourage masking in schools," he said. "And we would encourage distancing and sanitizing and the safe behaviors that we learned and practiced since the spring of 2020."

Versalovic's remarks come as many states battle alarming uptick of cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus.