One question on parents’ minds are if hospitalizations are increasing in children who cannot yet receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Raymond Bernardi, vice president of operations at Lehigh Valley Health Networks’ Hazleton and Schuylkill campuses, said during the Carbon County Interagency Collaborative meeting on Wednesday that the health network “has not seen an increase in hospitalizations that have been dramatic in terms of that population.”

At St. Luke’s, John Nespoli, president, said the hospital system has seen “a slight uptick in kids being hospitalized” and the hospitals are not seeing a level of critical illness in this age group.

Officials also noted a slight uptick of younger children in the emergency departments who have symptoms who do not need to be hospitalized.