The pediatrician told Melissa Zajacz of Medina, Ohio, that her 13-year-old son, Spencer, would be back to school in two weeks after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. Then came more trips to the doctor, fevers over 40 degrees Celsius and two visits to the Cleveland Clinic emergency room.
Spencer¡¯s case, involving the B.1.1.7. variant, has kept him mostly bedridden and suffering headaches and swollen ankles since March 17. ¡°There is no cure, so they offer support care,¡± said Melissa Zajacz. ¡°He hasn¡¯t been to school in a month. He¡¯s a healthy, athletic kid, and he¡¯s miserable.¡±
Throughout previous waves of COVID-19, children and young adults eluded the pandemic¡¯s gravest consequences, exhibiting mild symptoms or none at all. Now faster-spreading variants are sending more to the hospital. Fatalities remain low, but doctors say the virus is now making the young sicker, some gravely.
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