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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The rise of the delta variant and the start of the school year have dramatically increased the risks children face during the coronavirus pandemic, a group of pediatricians said in court documents submitted in as part of the federal lawsuit against Iowa Governor Kim. Reynolds.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and its Iowa chapter filed a brief Tuesday with the federal court judge reviewing the lawsuit filed by 11 parents of Iowa children and the disability rights group The Arc of Iowa last week. He is seeking to repeal a measure passed by Republicans that Reynolds enacted in May that prohibits school boards from imposing mask mandates on schools.
The AAP said in the document filed with the court that their review of the research and experiences of frontline pediatric practitioners “proves beyond a doubt that universal mask policies in schools dramatically reduce the spread of COVID-19 in school populations “. The group said the prevalence of pediatric COVID-19 has skyrocketed since the start of the school year, with 20% of all cases of children since the start of the pandemic diagnosed between August 13 and September 16. .
“This surge appears to be due to two main factors: the resumption of in-person schooling (and in particular schooling in places without masks), and the emergence of the delta variant, which is more than twice as contagious as previous variants, “he added. AAP said in the court document.
The document indicates that more than 5.5 million cases of COVID-19 children have been reported in the United States as of September 16, representing more than 15% of the total cases in the country. Iowa has reported more than 56,000 cases of children, the group said.
The testimony challenges Reynolds’ long-standing opposition to mask warrants. She questioned the effectiveness of cloth masks in schools and suggested they could cause harm, saying parents should decide whether or not to mask their children.
The AAP said the state’s claims that the masks are harmful to children’s respiratory function, to children’s social or language skills, or to anxious children have no scientific basis.
The AAP said more than 3,200 children were hospitalized with COVID-19 between August 13 and September 16 in 24 states and one city reporting child hospitalizations. The data coincides with reports from Iowa hospitals that more children have been admitted for treatment for COVID-19 in recent weeks. Data released by state public health officials on Wednesday indicated that COVID-19 cases in children 17 and under accounted for 24% of new positive virus cases in the state during the week. last. Ten children aged 11 or younger have been hospitalized with the virus.
The AAP said that since the start of August, more children have died each week than in all of the previous weeks of the pandemic, except for one. Nationwide, among the 45 states, New York City, Puerto Rico and Guam, 498 children have died. Data from the group shows three children have died in Iowa from COVID-19. Texas leads the country in child deaths from the virus with 79 and Arizona has 38.
The uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 poses an increased risk for children with certain underlying conditions, including Down syndrome, lung conditions, heart conditions and weakened immune systems.
On September 13, Judge Robert Pratt issued a restraining order against Reynolds and the director of the Iowa Department of Education, Ann Lebo, to prevent them from applying the law. He found that the law significantly increases the risk for many children with health conditions of contracting COVID-19 and may violate federal laws, including the Americans With Disabilities Act.
He extended the order on Monday until October 11 and is considering a preliminary injunction that would continue to suspend the application of the law while the case goes to court. Reynolds has indicated she is determined to restore the law, saying she will appeal. At least 24 school districts have reinstated a mask warrant since Pratt issued a temporary restraining order.
Iowa’s 99 counties continue to experience a high rate of spread of the virus, CDC data shows. State data update Wednesday shows COVID-19 deaths in Iowa increased from 81 to 6,563. The deaths occurred between August 10 and September 17, the state said. .
The mask dispute is one of many unfolding in school districts across the country, particularly in Republican-led states, which have prevented local governments from imposing mask requirements.
On Tuesday, a South Carolina federal judge overturned that state’s ban on mask warrants and an Arizona judge on Monday overturned laws passed by Republicans that prevent schools from requiring masks and restrict the use of masks. power of local governments to impose COVID-19 requirements.
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