Explainer-Does Omicron pose higher risks for infants than other variants?

Data from an area in South Africa hard-hit by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has shown a high number of hospital admissions of infants under 2 years old, raising concerns that the variant may pose risks to young children. South African scientists have said they cannot yet confirm a link between Omicron and the high admissions of infants, which could be due to other factors. The data, released by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), shows that 52 infants under age 2 were among 452 COVID-19 patients admitted in Tshwane – the metropolitan area that includes the capital Pretoria – in the period between Nov. 14 and 28, a higher number than for any other age group.