Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy on Wednesday claimed that children “don’t di3 from COVID,” but since the viral outbreak began in 2020, hundreds of children have.

 

Covid: Children's extremely low risk confirmed by study

Campos-Duffy, who also appears as a contributor on the network, made the comment on “The Faulkner Focus” during a discussion of the use of masks in schools.

“Does the vaccine work? … So if the vaccines work, why are you worried about children being unmasked?” Campos-Duffy asked. Told by another guest, “I’m worried about kids under 12 who don’t have the vaccine,” she responded, “The kids survive COVID, they don’t di3 from COVID. It’s very, very rare.”

What to do if your child is exposed to COVID-19 - Mary Bridge Children's

Data collected by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association shows that since May 2020 and through Aug. 26 of this year, at least 425 children have di3d of COVID in the United States. The same data shows that at least 812,130 children have been hospitalized and 4.7 million overall cases of children with COVID-19 have been recorded.

The rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality among children are much lower than among adults, but they can get COVID-19 and di3, and data suggests that children are more vulnerable to the delta variant, and rates of hospitalization soar. Children’s Hospital Association CEO Mark Wietecha said in a news release, “Our children’s health care safety net is under unprecedented strain.”

In a letter to President Joe Biden, Wietecha said, “With pediatric volumes at or near capacity and the upcoming school season expected to increase demand, there may not be sufficient bed capacity or expert staff to care for children and families in need.”

Effects of coronavirus in children adds to list of Covid-19 unknowns

At a Tuesday briefing by the White House COVID-19 Response Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky noted, “With regard to pediatric hospitalizations, we know that there’s an absolute number of children that — because of this highly transmissible variant — an absolute number of children that are infected now with SARS-CoV-2. And because of that absolute number, there’s a larger number of children in the hospital.”

Campos-Duffy has previously offered unscientific commentary on the virus on Fox News, adding to the network’s ongoing campaign of misinformation about COVID-19 and safety measures.

In August of 2020, as transmission and d3aths were surging, Campos-Duffy falsely claimed that there was “some debate” within the scientific community “about whether masks are good or not.” By that point, CDC recommendations to wear masks were already several months old.

In November of 2020, Campos-Duffy attacked recommendations that families not gather for Thanksgiving out of concerns that the virus could be transmitted. She described the warnings as “government Marxism.”

Campos-Duffy made her comments as the American d3ath toll from the virus was surpassing 300,000. As of Sept. 1, 2021, that toll stands at 640,478.