A second covid-19 unit has opened at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to prepare for the potential of rising cases.

It is a precautionary step, hospital officials said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a 114% increase in admissions for covid-positive children — from newborns to 17-year-olds — since the last week of December.

From Dec. 20 to 26, there were an average of 313 admissions per day. That number more than doubled to 672 per day from Dec. 27 to Sunday.

“UPMC Children’s has opened up a second unit to expand care capability for covid-19 patients at the hospital,” said Children’s spokeswoman Andrea Kunicky. “The hospital is safe, operating normally and ready to provide care for patients and their families.”

More than 10 beds were repurposed and are being utilized to accommodate covid patients, keeping the patients in the same general area, said Dr. Ray Pitetti, director of pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital.

He said most of the children admitted who have tested positive for covid-19 are 12 and under.

“We’re seeing a marked increase in the number of children coming in the ER who have tested positive for covid,” Pitetti said. “Last year, I would make about five calls a day, and currently I’m calling 30 to 40 patients daily. I had to call 72 patients in one day last week.”

He said data suggests the surge will peak during the second or third week in January and decrease in February.

Children’s Hospital remains able to accommodate the increased number of patients, Pitetti said.

“It’s a scary time for everyone, but we are here for everyone,” he said.

Pennsylvania is among nine states that have reported record numbers of covid-related hospitalizations for children, according to an NBC news report.

Other states include Ohio, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine and Missouri, along with Washington, D.C.

There have been more than 80,000 child hospitalizations since Aug. 1 amid the spread of the delta and omicron variants, according to the CDC website.

Across the country, more than 78% of people age 5 and older have received at least one dose of a covid vaccine.

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