Local mom feels impact of surge as 4 kids catch COVID-19

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - COVID numbers with children are only increasing in our area right now. One parent we spoke to says she didn’t think her kids would be the ones to catch the virus. It’s been an eye-opening and terrifying experience as a mother.

For the Alley family, COVID started with the youngest in the family.

“I thought I was in the clear with the other two and then when he got a fever I was automatically in panic mode and was like oh gosh,” said Briana Alley.

“Oh, gosh,” is a calm response when not one, not two, not three, but all four of her kids are currently dealing with COVID-19.

“It’s terrifying and I don’t wish that on anybody,” she said.

Alley says they don’t go out in public much, wear masks, and always sanitize.

Currently at AU they have four pediatric patients in the hospital, something we’ve seen more of over the past few weeks. With delta variant going around health officials say it’s affecting younger children now.

“This virus is basically doing a Darwinian life if you will. It’s adapting to life under the vaccine,” said Dr. Jose Vazquez, chief of infectious disease, AUMC.

Vazquez says the delta variant is more than two times more contagious than the original strain but thinks we’ll see this surge go down by fall.

“I think that over the next month and into the fall that we will see a drop in the delta variant,” he said.

Doctors and the Alley family say vaccines are how we’ll see that decline in cases.

“I do believe that if I did not have the vaccine I would be in the hospital on a respiratory machine,” said Alley. “I guess we’re one of the lucky ones that didn’t have to go through all of that.”

Representative Rick Allen touring the Charlie Norwood VA today. He says COVID vaccines have become a political issue which isn’t good. Allen says without the vaccine and our healthcare workers we’d be in a much worse place today.

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