Childhood COVID-19 cases continue to reach record levels

Coronavirus infections in children continue to reach record levels in the United States, with pediatric cases accounting for nearly 26% of all new cases reported last week, according to a new report.

Nearly 226,000 new pediatric cases were reported between September 9 and 16, which is slightly lower than the totals for the previous two weeks but still higher than at any other time during the pandemic, according to the report released on Monday by the ‘American Academy of Pediatrics and the Association of Children’s Hospitals.

The number of weekly cases fell slightly from 243,373 the week before to the last count of 225,978 – but pediatric cases overall accounted for 25.7% of all reported cases in the country, up from 15.5% the week before.

This latest boom in COVID-19 infections in children has been mostly seen in the South, according to the report, as government officials in that region have largely fought against mitigation efforts such as mask warrants and demands. vaccination.

“Childhood cases are high in places where community cases are high,” Dr Sean O’Leary, vice chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, told HuffPost. “Where we see the highest rates in the general population, cases of children are increasing.”

The return of children to class is not necessarily the reason for the increase in cases. Instead, a combination of high community transmission, low vaccination rates, and less effort to curb infections has allowed the highly contagious delta variant to spread, especially in children who cannot be vaccinated. , O’Leary said.

“They are essentially completely unprotected. And so even in places where vaccination coverage is high in the adult population, if there is still a lot of community transmission, you will see proportionately more infected children, ”he said.

The impact of the delta variant has been manifested by the steady increase in pediatric cases since the start of the summer.

Weekly cases of COVID-19 in children fell to just 8,447 during the week of June 24, when the delta variant accounted for about 20% of new cases in the United States. While the delta variant has spread rapidly, accounting for 83% of all new COVID-19 cases in July, cases in children have also spread.

Today, the delta variant is responsible for almost all new cases in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The best way to deal with this situation is for as many people as possible, including adults, to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as this will reduce community transmission and protect children too young to be vaccinated,” said O’Leary, who also reminded parents to make sure their children are up to date with all of their other recommended vaccines.

Drugmaker Pfizer said on Monday it would seek emergency use authorization by the end of the month to administer its coronavirus vaccine to children aged 5 to 11. Currently, only those over 12 can be vaccinated.

In the latest AAP and CHA report, both groups noted that children remain less likely than adults to suffer from serious illness or die from the coronavirus. However, more research is needed to determine the long-term impact of the pandemic on children, “including the ways in which the virus may adversely affect the long-term physical health of infected children, as well as its health effects. emotional and mental “, health organizations. said in a statement.