Children's Hospital in New Orleans today reports steadily growing numbers of kids with COVID in the hospital. They range from an infant in the newborn ICU to a gravely ill 23-month-old girl with coronavirus to a 17-year-old East Jefferson football player in the ICU.
Doctors say the Delta variant is now killing children as the coronavirus mutates.
Dr. Mark Kline is the physician in chief at Children's Hospital New Orleans he tells CBS News that everything is changing.
"The situation is dire," he told reporter David Begnaud. "On Monday we had four hospitalized patients with COVID, (Wednesday) we have 17."
"This Delta variant... changes the game," Dr. Kline explained. "Children are more ill."
He says they are ramping up efforts to provide a level of care they have not had to with COVID until now.
"Sadly, I think we are going to be seeing more deaths over the coming weeks."
Experts say if more adults get vaccinated and wear masks it will help protect children. Kids 12 and over are also urged to get vaccinated.
Children ages 5 - 17 now make up the third largest number of COVID infections in the state.
