Children's Wisconsin Seeing More Kids Test Positive for COVID-19

Tuesday, January 11th, 2022 -- 10:01 AM

(WBAY) Children’s Wisconsin says it’s seeing more kids test positive for covid-19 and doctors are pushing back on the perception that the virus isn’t as serious for kids.

Pediatricians want to remind everyone that the impact of the pandemic goes well beyond the physical, also affecting a child’s emotional and mental health.

Doctors say mental health challenges that come with uncertainty, remote learning, losing a caregiver, or dealing with covid has had an impact on a child’s well-being. The number of calls to Children’s Wisconsin Mental and Behavioral Health Access Center has tripled since 2019.

Since 2020, visits to our Emergency Department Trauma Center for mental and behavioral health concerns have increased by 40 percent. The CDC reports a similar trend happening nationally.

Starting in 2020, the number of teenagers going to emergency rooms for mental health reasons bumped up by more than 30 percent.

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