New York City has seen a 4-fold rise in pediatric hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the two-week period between Dec. 5 to Dec. 19, with half the admissions being children under 5 years of age, according to a Dec. 24 statement released by the New York State Department of Health. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul co-issued the statement with Acting Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett to local healthcare providers, recommending “COVID-19 vaccination for children age 5 and up and boosters for those eligible.” The statement reported that “none of the 5-11 year-old patients was fully vaccinated” in the most recent week (Dec. 19) and “only a quarter of 12-17 year-old patients (7 patients out of 30 admissions) were fully vaccinated.” “Although COVID-19 is usually mild in children, there are risks of serious illness and sequelae for children, and if not isolated they can contribute to community transmission,” the statement continued. A January 2021 …