American coronavirus: Covid-19 cases are on the decline but remain high in children. Here’s what the US needs to do to end the wave

On average, around 105,054 people are said to have new Covid-19 infections every day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That number is about 12,000 lower than the average a week ago, and experts question whether this drop is an ebb and flow of cases or the beginning of the end of a high number of cases.

Children under 18 make up 22% of the U.S. population but account for 27% of all cases nationwide, according to data released Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“I think we have underestimated the impact on children,” Dr Anthony Fauci said on Monday. “Look at pediatric hospitals across the country… they see a lot of kids in the hospital with severe infection.”

And Baylor College of Medicine’s dean of tropical medicine, Dr Peter Hotez, said he’s still concerned about the rest of the year. The colder months bring conditions that make it easier for the virus to spread, and the United States is still under-vaccinated, he said.

“We’re still in a pretty tough race for the rest of the year,” Hotez said.

Children could get vaccinated in early November, says Ranney

The vaccines, which experts cite as the best protection against the virus, are only available for children as young as 12 years old. But health officials hope that will change soon.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that its vaccine advisers will meet on Oct. 26 to discuss data from Pfizer’s vaccine trial in children aged 5 to 11.

There are still a few steps on the path to vaccine authorization. The FDA vaccine advisers would have to make a recommendation first, and the FDA would vote on it.

Then the CDC would have to sign before children between the ages of 5 and 11 can start getting the vaccine.

“Most of us in the public health community expect to see vaccine approvals for these younger age groups in early November,” Ranney said.

And once a vaccine is made available to the youngest, that would be up to parents to decide, which can prove to be a barrier.

According to Kaiser Family Foundation Vaccine, only about a third – 34% – of parents of children aged 5 to 11 say they will vaccinate their child as soon as a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available for this age group. Monitor results published Thursday

Pre-teens and teens still have the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rates of any age group, according to the CDC. And Hotez told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that in the South, only about a third of 12 to 17 year olds have been vaccinated.

“We have a lot of education to do around these mRNA vaccines,” Hotez said.

A promising new antiviral

An antiviral drug promises to reduce the impacts of the infection, but experts warn it is not a substitute for vaccines.

“This pill is great and, as an emergency physician, I look forward to having it as another tool in my toolkit to give to patients with Covid-19,” Ranney said. “But better than taking a pill is not to get sick in the first place, which means getting the shot.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story did not include the most complete daily average number of cases. The current average is 105,054 cases per day Tuesday morning.