U.S COVID-19 Cases In Children Spike 90% As Schools Begin To Reopen, Report Says

COVID-19 continues to keep the country in quarantine and practicing social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. With the dawn of a new school season, many schools have started to reopen in different states despite concerns from parents and warnings from various experts. This week, a new report shows that within the last four weeks, young children have seen a 90% increase in overall new cases as a result.

According to a report by The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, over 380,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic started and represented 9.1% of all cases across the country. The new data also showed that between July and August there has been a 90% spike in COVID-19 cases in children. States like Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona, and California have reported high increases in new COVID-19 among school-aged children. The new report counters President Trump’s previous statements saying children were nearly immune to the virus. 

Other states like New York have opted to provide more remote learning options for parents to protect kids without disrupting their learning. According to ABC7 News, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that over 700,000 students will be participating in a blended in-person and online curriculum with 26% of students opting for digital-only remote learning.

“Our numbers reflect the work of everyone in this state, and the number of ICU patients and hospitalizations have reached new lows again,” Gov.Andrew Cuomo told ABC7 News. “That is extraordinary given where we were just a few months ago. We are fighting on two fronts to protect our progress: We are fighting against the rise of cases across the nation, and we are fighting against lack of compliance within our own state.