Kids locked at home all day are a recipe for accidental injuries and visits to the ER | Sadiqa AI Kendi

Unintentional injuries are the top cause of death for kids in the US and today's forced confinement raises the risk

As an emergency department doctor in a busy children's hospital, I am relieved not many children are becoming seriously ill or dying from the coronavirus. However, as an injury prevention expert, I am worried about a hidden danger for America's children. I am worried about this hidden danger for my now home-bound child.

With millions of American children out of schools and daycares, this pandemic is likely to still harm children in a significant way: through injuries instead of infection. The number one killer of children in the United States is not infections like the flu. Year in and year out, it is quietly unintentional injuries, which are more likely to occur in the home, and more likely to arise when routines are interrupted and environments changed. While public health experts have rightfully recommended the closing of schools and daycares to stop the spread of the coronavirus, we must also bring public awareness to the principal danger in millions of children spending their days in homes - a potential rise in unintentional injuries.