Nearly 72,000 American children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, a new report finds.
The figure is a dramatic spike from the almost 39,000 under-18s who contracted the virus last week, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
This brings the total of pediatric Covid cases to more than 4.1 million since the start of the pandemic.
According to the report, coronavirus infections in youngsters made up 19 percent of all cases in the U.S. for the week ending July 29.
Nearly 72,000 American children tested positive for COVID-19 last week, making up 19% of all cases in the U.S for the week ending July 29, a new report found. Pictured: Marisol Gerardo, 9, gets her nose swabbed in Durham, North Carolina, April 2021
More than 4.1 million children have been infected but fewer than 2% of child cases have resulted in hospitalization in any state
Currently, there are 10 states that report 18 percent or more of their cumulative cases are among children: Vermont, Alaska, South Carolina, Maine, Tennessee, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Washington.
Vermont has the most with more than 22 percent of all the state’s cases among its youngest residents.
Meanwhile, just one state – Florida – reported fewer than 10 percent of its cases are among kids.
Additionally, over the last two weeks, six states have seen a more than six percent increase in child cases: Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri
Since the pandemic began, children have made up for between 11 percent and 19.9 percent of total state tests.
Of the states that still report pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations, no more than 1.9 percent of child cases resulted in hospitalization.
Currently, there are 10 states that report 18% or more of their cumulative cases are among children (above)
Children have made up no more than 0.26 percent of virus-related deaths in states and seven states have reported no pediatric deaths.
‘At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is rare among children,’ the AAP report reads.
‘However, states should continue to provide detailed reports on COVID-19 cases, testing, hospitalizations, and mortality by age and race/ethnicity so that the effects of COVID-19 on children’s health can be documented and monitored.’
COVID-19 vaccines are currently authorized in the U.S. for children ages 12 and older but the vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech is the only option.
Pfizer and Moderna are both running clinical trials on kids as young as six months old with hopes of receiving emergency use authorizations before the end of the year.
But polls find that parents of children seem to be evenly split on whether or not their kids will be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
One survey, conducted by CS Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at Michigan Medicine last month, found that 39 percent of parents said their children already gotten a coronavirus shot.
However, 40 percent of parents also said it was ‘unlikely’ that their children would be getting vaccinated.’
Source link : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9858107/Almost-72-000-children-tested-positive-COVID-19-week-making-19-cases.html
