SALEM — Oregon health officials have seen an increase in children with COVID-19 cases severe enough to require hospitalization and said it mirrors a national trend. State health officials said nine babies, toddlers or preschoolers were hospitalized in Oregon last week according to the state, plus one child aged 6 to 11 and one child aged 12 to 17.

Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist who trained in pediatrics, said in a statement “it’s especially disheartening when there is a sharp rise in serious cases among the youngest people in our community.”

He urged everyone who can get vaccinated to do so and asked Oregonians to wear masks, to help protect those who cannot get the shot including young children.

“New hospital admission rates for kids due to COVID-19 in the U.S. have reached the highest levels since tracking pediatric cases started about a year ago,” Sidelinger said. “The delta variant is more contagious than previous variants — and likely is causing more severe disease in children, as it is in adults — and is leading to a surge in pediatric hospitalizations nationwide.”