Findings detail a 40% increase in cases among US children.
A report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association has recorded more than 97,000 Covid-19 positive children in the United States in the last two weeks of July 2020. In the states and municipalities that were researched, the findings detail a 40% increase in cases among US children.
The report utilizes a varied age range between different states, with some states classifying “children” as being up to the age of 24.
Since May 2020, a minimum of 86 children has passed away after contracting Coronavirus. In Georgia, a 7-year old boy became the first child victim in Georgia to die as a result of Coronavirus. The boy harbored no pre-existing health conditions. Earlier in August 2020, two Florida teens passed from the virus, amounting to Florida’s child death toll to seven.
Black and Hispanic children have been disproportionately affected by the virus, exhibiting higher infection rates, hospitalizations, and complications related to Covid-19.
Schools Reopen Amidst New Outbreaks
As teachers, students, and parents prepare for the back-to-school season, Coronavirus outbreaks have continued to resurface. Schools across the United States have opened their doors to young students, while other districts are in the midst of instilling Covid-19-safe accommodations to ensure the safety of pupils and educators alike.
The Georgia high school that broke the internet last week with a viral photo of students crowding the hallways has temporarily closed after 9 cases of students and staff tested positive for the virus.
School districts in suburban Atlanta have also reopened in-person teaching with an optional mask policy. One day after this policy was announced, a second-grade student who had tested Covid-19 positive sent all classmates and a teacher into home quarantine for two weeks.
With the test-trials of schools reopening underway, teachers are feeling understandably uneasy. In conversation with NBC, one teacher anonymously voiced: “I feel like a sacrificial lamb. Some of my colleagues will die before school boards and governors are willing to risk closures.”
Coronavirus Tops 5 Million Cases in the US
Coronavirus cases in the United States have continued to grow at exponential rates. On August 9, 2020, the country surpassed 5 million recorded cases, a fourth of all recorded infections in the world. 40% of the US’s infections are concentrated in five states: California, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Texas.
Previously the virus epicenter of the United States, New York’s number of recorded infections have been exceeded by states that have experienced tremendous Coronavirus spikes in the past few months.
Commenting on New York’s Covid-19 positivity rate, Governor Andrew Cuomo stated: “Our daily numbers remain low and steady, despite increasing infection rates across the country, and even in our region – and we had the lowest one-day positive rate since we started.”
On Sunday August 9, New York recorded a daily prior positivity rate of 0.78%, suggesting that of all New Yorker’s tested for the virus on Saturday August 8, only 0.78% tested positive – an immense feat for the state.
“(It’s) an incredible achievement, all thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers,” Cuomo affirmed.
On Sunday August 9, Florida experienced a 6,190 influx of Coronavirus cases, adding to a total of 527,000 cases among Floridian residents. Sunday marked an increase in more than 6,000 positive Covid-19 cases for the 13th day in a row.
Texas has set a new record for its daily positivity rate – a disturbing 19.41%. Texas has reported 481,000 cases across the state, with hospitalizations reaching 7,900.
As the new epicenter of the pandemic, California’s infections amount to a total of 545,000 recorded cases. California’s daily positivity rate has remained at a steady 6% for the past two weeks, with an approximate 7,000 case increase per day.
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