This photo taken on May 13, 2021 shows Oliver Barr, 13, as he receives his COVID-19 vaccine administered by medical assistant Karina Cisneros from St. John’s Well Child & Family Center at Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California. (File photo by AFP)

Hospitalizations have surged for unvaccinated American children driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director warned hospitalizations of children were at their highest level since the pandemic started two years ago.

Walensky said, Pediatric hospitalizations are at their highest rate compared to any prior point in the pandemic.

She further said on NBC News’ Today program on Friday that the worst was yet to come.

I don’t believe we’ve seen the peak yet here in the United States, Walensky warned.

Children in the United States under five with COVID-19 have soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data.

She insisted that the worrisome trend in children too young to be vaccinated underscored the need for all others to get their vaccines to help protect this vulnerable group.

Children in the United States under five are the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine.

In the meantime, the seven-day daily average of COVID-19 cases is up 98% from the prior week, Walensky said at an earlier briefing.

The average for hospitalizations was up 63% and for deaths was up 5%, she said.

Health officials have warned that the sheer number of infections caused by Omicron could strain hospitals already facing staff shortage while the rising number of COVID-19 cases have already forced many hospitals in nearly half of US states to postpone elective surgeries to a later time.

Meanwhile, many schools have vowed to continue in-person education and some have faced closures as cases rise.

In Chicago, the third-largest US public school system, schools were closed for a third day on Friday amid a teacher walkout over COVID-19 issues.

However, despite the rising hospitalizations of children, the US government has decided to keep schools open.

We know how to keep our kids safe in school. About 96% of schools are open. Parents want schools open, and experts are clear that in-person learning is best for kids’ physical and mental health and further education. And the President couldn’t be clearer; schools in this country should remain open, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday at a briefing.

According to a Reuters tally, the US is poised to set a new record of infections as early as Friday.

The US reported 662,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the fourth highest daily US total coming just three days after a record of nearly 1 million cases was reported, according to the Reuters tally.

The seven-day average for new cases set a record for a 10th consecutive day at 597,000.

Deaths, an indicator that lags hospitalizations, remain fairly steady at a still high 1,400 a day, according to the Reuters tally.

In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul and the head of one of the largest hospitals both said they cautiously believed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations would soon plateau in the state.

We think with our modeling that the peak will happen next week, said Steven Corwin, chief executive of New York-Presbyterian Hospital

According to the Reuters analysis, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vermont and Washington, DC, all reported record levels of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in recent days.

Hospitalization data, however, often does not differentiate between people admitted for COVID-19 and patients who were admitted and treated for other issues but contracted the coronavirus while in the hospital and are counted alongside the COVID-19 patients.

So-called incidental infections have occurred throughout the pandemic but might be significantly higher now due to the rapid pace of Omicron’s spread.