Understanding the impact on children and how they transmit COVID is critical
As parents continue to weigh options for reopening a primary school amid a global pandemic, nearly 100,000 children tested positive for coronavirus in the last two weeks of July, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics ( AAP).
The U.S. topped five million cases of coronavirus this morning, meaning we now have close to a quarter of worldwide cases of the virus and the most reported deaths in the world at 162,441, according to John Hopkins University. With research still determining the impact of the virus on children, the AAP reported that 97,000 children tested positive in the U.S. from July 16 to July 30, bringing the total number of cases in children to 338,000.
To continue researching and studying the effects of the virus on children and the role they play in transmitting the virus to others, CBS News reports that Dr. Tina Hartert of Vanderbilt University is leading the way for a government-funded study that sent test kits to 2,000 families. “They are taught how to collect these samples, and then the samples are returned by the families to a central repository,” Hartert explained.
2,000 families in 10 cities will be tested #covid every two weeks with nasal swabs in a @NIH-fund study examined the role children play in transmission. @ VI4ResearchDr. Tina Hartert, who leads it, expects early results in weeks. https://t.co/VXU9yOz2Fs
– VUMC Insights (@VUMC_Insights) 5 July 2020
The rush to test more children comes as counties around the country determine back-to-school plans for the fall. While some schools in Georgia and Indiana are already back to personal learning, the U.S. has already seen positive cases against alarming rates. And although children have been shown to recover more quickly from the virus than adults, how they spread the virus to others is of great concern.
The American Association of Pediatricians says children are better off in school, but the president says ordering schools to ‘reopen’ without taking into account the spread of the community really goes against our recommendations. ‘Https://t.co/buV7pQ3MgN
– NPR (@NPR) July 9, 2020
The risk to children, while lower, is still terrible. More than 25 children died in July from the coronavirus alone, and a new CDC study shows that Black and Spanish children are at increased risk for developing symptoms that require hospitalization.
“I think there are a lot of kids who can get small amounts of virus without a lot of symptoms,” said Dr. Kenneth Alexander, head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando.
“If you look at the mortality data and even the hospitalization data, children are doing really, really well. The majority of children with COVID-19 probably do not even come under medical attention, ”said Alexander. ‘I’m much more worried about the 62-year-old diabetic lunch lady than I am about the child who gets a Sloppy Joe. So, when we think about opening our schools, I think the name of the game still protects the adults in the school environment. “
1 in 3 children hospitalized for coronavirus was admitted to the ICU, according to a CDC analysis. Spanish children were about 8 times as likely as white children in the hospital, while Black children were 5 times as likely. Https: //t.co/iCAiczmTtm
– NPR (@NPR) August 8, 2020
As parents make the best provision for their families regarding learning in person, understanding the impact on children will remain top of mind for all involved.
Information about COVID-19 is changing rapidly, and Scary Mommy is committed to providing the latest data in our coverage. With news being updated so often, some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For this reason, we encourage readers to use online resources from local departments of public health, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization to stay as informed as possible.
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