Coronavirus cases among children are rising at a time when the highly infectious delta variant is advancing across the United States at a rapid clip.
New state-level data analyzed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association shows that children accounted for roughly 15% of all newly reported COVID-19 cases across the nation for the week ending on Aug. 5. Nearly 94,000 child cases of COVID-19 were recorded during that period, a 31% increase over the roughly 72,000 cases reported a week earlier. In the week before then, there were 39,000 new child cases.
“This virus is really tracking the unvaccinated,” said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at Stanford University. “Because children under 12 are not able to be vaccinated, we’re just seeing the same increase in infections in that group because [the delta variant] is so infectious.” Many children hospitalized with COVID-19 now, likely driven by the delta variant, are sicker than those who had contracted previous strains. While the overall picture remains unclear, he said pediatric hospitals are nonetheless now in need of specially trained medical staff who understand the unique requirements of treating young patients.
Read more at NPR.
