COVID-19 cases are going up across the country, including in New York, and health officials are warning children could pay the price if not enough people get vaccinated.

They are begging people who aren't vaccinated to get the shots - because kids under 12 aren't eligible for the vaccines yet.

There are reports of children now being admitted into ICUs, some even on life support, possibly because of the Delta variant, which is the most contagious variant discovered since the onset of the pandemic.

While there have been fewer severe cases among kids, they have been susceptible to long hauler symptoms, and are suffering the effects of COVID-19 long after infection.

Health officials are really driving the message home now that those who are not vaccinated risk endangering others.

According to Johns Hopkins University, COVID-19 cases more than doubled nationally in the last two weeks, and this past week in New York, there was a 50% jump in new cases compared to just the week before.

"Even if you think, 'Oh gosh, I'm low risk or I'll never get it, or I won't have any severe long-term outcomes,' keep in mind that probably there's part of you that wants this pandemic to end completely, and the only we are going to do that is if we can crush this...on not only a national level but a global one. So everyone's got to be part of that equation," says Dr. Christina Johns, with PM Pediatrics.

Based on the current trajectory, the CDC is estimating there could be up to 11,000 people across the country admitted into hospitals with COVID by Aug. 9.

Health officials say 99% of COVID-19 deaths last month were unvaccinated people.