At least 97,000 children in the United States tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the last two weeks of July, a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association found.
The report was released when lawmakers and health experts around the nation wrestled with questions about setting up schools, which were shut down in the spring when the coronavirus first began to spread across the country. Some Trump administration officials have aggressively called for a refund of classes in person, while others have expressed concern about how well-equipped schools are to deal with potential outbreaks.
Roughly 338,000 children in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the report, which includes public data from 49 U.S. states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam. The report found that Texas only provided age distribution for a small proportion of cases.
Between July 16 and July 30, a total of 97,078 children tested positive for the virus, marking a 40 percent increase in childhood cases, researchers found. About 7 in 10 cases over that period were reported in states in the South.
Alaska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Idaho, and Montana were among the states to experience the most pronounced increase in infected children, according to the report. Meanwhile, Arizona, South Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana are among the states with the most reported cases of coronavirus among children since the pandemic began.
The report found that age groups for children vary by state. Alabama, for example, mentioned children’s issues for anyone 24 or younger. Other states considered everyone 18 or younger to be a child.
The mortality rate remains low for children, researchers noted. In states that reported data, between 0 and 0.3 percent of children COVID-19 cases resulted in death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that available evidence indicates that children are less likely to develop COVID-19 than adults. The health agency also published guidance in July that said children are less likely to experience severe symptoms of the disease.
The new guidance said schools should reopen in at least a few months, unless community transmission is high or uncontrolled.
Many school districts plan to begin the school year with virtual classes as a mix of personal and virtual learning. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Andrew CuomoOn The Trail: Pence’s Knives Come From MTV Moves Awards Shows Outside Overnight Health Care: Trump To Take Executive Action After Colonavirus Talks Collapse | Fax official says he would resign if politics pressed MORE (D) announced last week that schools in its state could reopen for personal learning due to lower transmission rates.
But concerns have been raised about how schools can properly comply with health directives.
A Georgian high school received national attention last week after students shared photos of folop going on their first days back. Dr. Brian Otott, the superintendent for the Paulding County School District, said in a letter to parents on Sunday that the school would temporarily switch to digital learning after six students and three faculty members had COVID-19.
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