Increasing numbers of KY kids are getting COVID. This 2-year-old ended up in the hospital.

When her two-year-old daughter Acacia Baker spiked a 102 degree temperature and complained of a headache last week, Laranda Baker-Cornett of Whitesburg took her to the doctor.

The end result was a nearly three hour trip to Lexington and quarantine in the COVID unit of UK Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

Before being released late Monday night, Acacia was treated by nurses who wore “hazmat” suits, said Baker-Cornett. “We were in a pressurized room that we weren’t allowed to ...exit. We were confined totally to that room.”

Acacia was one of the increasing numbers of Kentuckians younger than age 18 with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Just four weeks ago, on July 12, 33 COVID-19 cases were reported in children under age 18. On Monday, the Department for Public Health reported 269 cases, Susan Dunlap, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said.

In Fayette County, since Friday, there have been 28 new cases in kids under 5, 50 in kids 5-14 and 27 in kids 15-19, according to Lexington-Fayette Health Department statistics.

Kristi Willett, a spokeswoman for the University of Kentucky, said Tuesday that UK currently has two pediatric COVID patients hospitalized.

“We assumed that anyone could get COVID based on what we were hearing from medical leaders and the CDC, but we were surprised that it happened so quickly after the return to school in Letcher County,” said Baker-Cornett. Classes began Aug. 4.

“She does have a big brother in public schools and he’s quarantined at home and is not able to attend classes right now,” she said. “We’re afraid of the impact that it may have on him educationally.”

All of the adults in Acacia’s home were fully vaccinated, Baker-Cornett said.

“We don’t know where she got it from,” said Baker-Cornett. “We are not positive that we know of. She does not attend day care.”

Everyone else in Acacia’s home is asymptomatic for COVID, Baker-Cornett said. After consulting with doctors and public health officials, they all will have COVID tests within the week. One parent was awaiting tests results Tuesday afternoon. The family is now quarantining at home in Whitesburg.

The New York Times reported this week that the number of children with COVID admitted to a U.S. hospital “has been climbing since early July; from July 31 to Aug. 6, 216 children with Covid were being hospitalized every day, on average, nearly matching the 217 daily admissions during the pandemic’s peak in early January.”

“It didn’t really occur to us that she could possibly have it,” said Baker-Cornett. “She had a fever of 102 so we decided to take her to the doctor because she has a history of febrile seizures.” Febrile seizures are associated with high body temperatures.

Acacia was admitted to the hospital Sunday, mostly because of the seizures. After having one seizure in May, she had four seizures on Sunday. Doctors don’t seem to think the seizures are related to the coronavirus, Baker-Cornett said. Some of Acacia’s symptoms, typically identified with COVID, were not severe.

“She’s complained of a headache. She’s had a fever” and a slight cough, said Baker-Cornett.

Acacia will return to the Lexington hospital for more testing related to the seizures once she has a negative COVID status.

According to Kentucky Department of Public Health statistics, Letcher County, where the family lives, had a 61.0 per 100,000 population incidence rate on Monday, higher than the state’s 43.83 per 100,000 incidence rate. The average daily incidence rates are calculated, in part, using the number of cases with an investigation start date in the previous seven days.

Baker-Cornett said her daughter seemed to feel fairly well Tuesday morning, well enough to ask if she could kick a soccer ball in the yard.

With her family still working through unanswered questions about her daughter’s experience, Baker-Cornett had some advice for other parents.

“Even if your child doesn’t have very severe symptoms you should still understand that there is a possibility that it could be COVID and contact your doctor and get a test,” she said.