Despite omicron looking to be inherently milder than delta, there is a clear difference between how increasing rates of infections translate into admissions in adults vs younger children - likely reflecting very different levels of population immunity 2/

Reports from US, UK and France align on omicron looking more likely normal respiratory pathogens in infants Rather than the occasional severe lung disease in vulnerable children, we are seeing more frequent mild illness in younger kids and lower rates of ICU admission 3/

Importantly, although rates of omicron have risen, it is no where near what we are used to seeing on a normal year for our usual respiratory bugs in children #COVID19 is still not a major issue in paediatrics despite the current wave 4/

This can be seen in NYC where despite covid admissions having risen significantly, it is not placing any pressure on beds (in fact total admissions are generally falling despite a rise in covid cases) 5/

Even better (if slightly strange) news is that despite cases still climbing, #COVID19 hospitalisations in <5s have recently had their biggest drop in England since January 2021 I can't explain why 6/