The number of children infected with the coronavirus is on the rise, according to alarming new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Children now cover more than 7% of all COVID-19 cases in the country and those statistics have “gradually increased” from March to July, CNN reported Saturday.
“Recent evidence suggests that children are likely to have the same as higher viral loads in their nasopharynx compared to adults and that children can spread the virus effectively in households and camp settings,” the CDC said.
The number of children taking to hospital is also increasing, officials said. Among the hospitals, one in three children is admitted to intensive care, the same rate as adults.
With reopening schools and colleges, the uptick in young people who contract the virus could intensify. The CDC said the transmission of the virus among children in the spring and early summer may have decreased due to hiding on farm orders and closing of schools.
Children can develop serious illness and complications of the virus, even if they are less at risk than adults, the CDC said.
More than 5.3 million people have been infected with the virus in the US and at least 168,446 have died.
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